Near-infrared immunotherapy (NIR-PIT): The dawn of the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare tumor that affects the lining of the lungMPM rarely spreads to other parts of the body, but usually the patient is diagnosed with a terminal condition, resulting in poor prognosis and very limited treatment optionsKazuhide Sato of Nagoya University in Japan and colleagues studied the effectiveness of near-infrared lightimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) in the treatment of MPMNIR-PIT has been quickly approved by the FDAthe FDA for the treatment of a malignant head and neck tumorIn order for NIR-PIT to work, compounds targeting tumor cells must first be injectedThe compound consists of antibodies that target specific structures on cancer cells and light absorbers called IR700When near-infrared light hits the cancer-affected body, the compound accumulates on the cancer cell membrane, causing acute cell rupture and tumor deathIn order for NIR-PIT to be used in MPM, scientists need a compound specifically targeted at MPM cancer cellsThey focused on an antibody called NZ-1, which targets specific parts of the transmembrane glycoprotein PodoplaninPodoplanin is commonly found in many cell types in the body, but is particularly abundant in certain types of cancer cells, including MPM"The lungs and chest cavity contain a lot of air, so it can effectively transmit near-infrared light," says Kazuhide SatoNIR-PIT is a safe light therapy that targets areas affected by tumor imagingIn the absence of near-infrared light exposure, the antibody-IR700 coupling is non-toxic to the human body"