According to reports, every one in nine people has or can get cancer in their lifetime.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that in 2022, India saw a surge in cancer patients. There were over 14,00,000 cases. The most reported cases were lung and breast cancer in males and females. With so many reported cancer cases, it has become crucial to make advancements. The year 2022 saw several clinical breakthroughs.
The CDMO companies in India performed numerous research and manufacturing in 2022. As per their experience, the following developments have leveraged the cancer industry.
- Precision oncology
- Artificial Intelligence steps in to cure cancer
- Analysis of Genomic Data
- CAR-T Cell Theory
- Cancer and Nanotherapy
- Precision Oncology
As a branch of science that caters to each patient’s health conditions, lifestyles, and environments, the top oncology pharmaceutical companies in India employ precision medicine, as it caters to each patient’s specific needs. Moreover, precision medicine is much more effective at treating chronic illness. Nobody could have imagined that one day, treatment of independent medical conditions would be possible through medicine.
However, the study of the patient’s genes is the basis for all the derived data. Again, making extra time for any medical condition, particularly cancer, is not easy. Understanding and analyzing individual genes enables a more individualized treatment plan for the patient.
India’s top oncology pharma companies listed five cancer breakthroughs of 2022
- Artificial Intelligence
World Economic Forum partners are transforming cancer care in India by utilizing cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning. For instance, AI-based risk profiling can aid in detecting common cancers like breast cancer early on. For more than two decades, AI-based computer programs have assisted physicians in interpreting mammograms; however, research in this field is rapidly developing.
Interpretation and integration of huge amounts of complex data are made easier with AI solutions. Additionally, an AI system reduces the likelihood of diagnostic and treatment-related errors in human clinical practice, lowering testing costs. The market’s expansion into AI is further fueled by government and non-government initiatives to invest in healthcare research and development.
- Analysis of Genomic Data
Genome sequencing provides detailed descriptions of the combination of genetic mutations that cause or aid in the development of cancer in an individual, as opposed to broad classifications based on the location of tumours.
Cancers are mutations that produce oncogenes and impair the function of genes that support a cell’s ability to repair damaged DNA: genes capable of actively transforming a cancerous cell into a healthy one. Cancer mutations like BRCA1 and BRCA2 lead to higher chances of breast and prostate cancer.
- CAR-T Cell Theory
Quoting, CAR-T cells are the equivalent of “giving patients a living drug,” explained Renier J. Brentjens, M.D., Ph.D., of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, another early leader in the CAR T-cell field.
In CAR-T theory, scientists extract the T cells from the patient’s blood and infuse them with the CAR protein. The transformed T cells are then infused back into the patient after being “expanded” into millions in the laboratory. The CAR T cells will continue to multiply in the patient’s body. If everything goes according to plan, they will recognize and kill any cancer cells with the target antigen on their surfaces, guided by their engineered receptor. Recently, the FDA has approved CAR T-cell therapies to target BCMA or CD19 on B cells.
Some researchers have shown that acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most prevalent childhood cancer, was the primary focus of the initial research and development of CAR T-cell therapies. The pharma contract manufacturers in India are working towards manufacturing adequate medications by partnering with pharmaceutical companies to support CAR-T therapies.
- Cancer and Nanotherapy
Nanotechnology makes it possible to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of radiation-based and other current treatment modalities, direct and selectively target chemotherapies at cancerous cells and neoplasms, etc. The patient’s chance of survival may rise by using nanotechnology for cancer treatment.
Despite their diminutive size compared to cancer cells, nanoparticles are large enough to contain a wide variety of small molecule compounds. At the same time, ligands, such as small molecules, DNA or RNA strands, peptides, aptamers, or antibodies, can be used to functionalize the nanoparticle’s relatively large surface area. In applications like laser ablation and hyperthermia, the physical properties of nanoparticles, such as energy absorption and re-radiation, can also be utilized to disrupt diseased tissue.
Conclusion
A potential golden era of cancer treatment has emerged thanks to significant advances in our understanding of human biology at the molecular and genetic levels. In this new age, each tumour will have its distinct signature.
There will be a customized treatment for patients who pass a drug test for specific markers. From precision oncology to nanotechnology for cancer, these five innovations promise to alter cancer treatment in the coming years.
Pinnacle, one of the CDMO companies in India, is all set to target the research and manufacture of drugs to pave the way for curing cancer. It dedicates to cancer treatments for a healthier and better future. It has a section devoted to oncology that focuses on developing cancer treatments.
