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Tribune News Network
Doha
Clinical trials are revealing crucial roles for immunotherapies and new options in treating previously incurable and life-limiting diseases, according to a World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) 2020 research report ‘Realizing the Promise of Immunotherapy: A Global Plan for Action’ that will be presented at the upcoming WISH conference.
New immunotherapies that are now rapidly emerging reveal an expanding range of applications for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis, as well as autoimmunity and infectious diseases like COVID-19. Scientists are also exploring the potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s by modulating the immune response. There is increasing recognition that cell- and gene-based immunotherapies have immense potential for treating genetic diseases.
Yet, it is not always obvious where the next revolutionary innovation will come from. Therefore, it is vital for governments and funding agencies to support these innovations, even if the clinical benefit is not immediately clear, says the new WISH report.
Attendees of next month’s conference of the WISH, Qatar Foundation’s (QF) global health initiative, will hear from the group of experts leading the research, chaired by Prof Gillian Griffiths, professor of Immunology and Cell Biology, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research. In 2019, she was awarded the Royal Society Buchanan Medal for establishing the fundamental cell biological mechanisms that drive cytotoxic T-cell killing, laying the foundations for informed application of cancer immunotherapy.
“Recent successes in immunotherapy have led to truly remarkable breakthroughs in cancer treatment, making this one of the most exciting and dynamic fields in medical research and bio-pharma right now. Together with the expanding range of applications for which immunotherapies have been found to work, from autoimmunity to infectious diseases such as COVID-19, this means that we’re really only at the beginning of a wave of innovation that’s going to have a dramatic impact on human health,” said Prof Griffiths.
Despite the breakthroughs in clinical benefit in the last decade, meaningful challenges face healthcare stakeholders: patients, providers, innovators, health systems and governments, from costly empirical research to the high cost and complex infrastructure to deliver treatments. The report expands on evidence-based solutions for governments, funders and policymakers to catalyse the discovery, development and delivery of immunotherapies globally.
Weighing in on these challenges, the report proposes a basic framework with four pillars toward realising the full potential of immunotherapy, with an emphasis on investment and innovation to ensure access to treatment. Among the case studies that demonstrate success are Uganda, which has established a Centre of Excellence, and Qatar, a country with a clear, stepped, developmental approach, according to the report.
The new WISH 2020 research report highlights the encouraging results being achieved by immunotherapies, and the upcoming summit from November 15-19 will continue to interrogate how governments and policymakers can help innovators, patients and healthcare providers to overcome the challenges they face in the field.
Extending over five days, WISH 2020 will gather healthcare experts, policymakers and innovators through a uniquely interactive and virtual format to collaborate toward achieving the common goal of building a healthier world under the theme ‘One World Our Health’.
Doha
Clinical trials are revealing crucial roles for immunotherapies and new options in treating previously incurable and life-limiting diseases, according to a World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) 2020 research report ‘Realizing the Promise of Immunotherapy: A Global Plan for Action’ that will be presented at the upcoming WISH conference.
New immunotherapies that are now rapidly emerging reveal an expanding range of applications for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis, as well as autoimmunity and infectious diseases like COVID-19. Scientists are also exploring the potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s by modulating the immune response. There is increasing recognition that cell- and gene-based immunotherapies have immense potential for treating genetic diseases.
Yet, it is not always obvious where the next revolutionary innovation will come from. Therefore, it is vital for governments and funding agencies to support these innovations, even if the clinical benefit is not immediately clear, says the new WISH report.
Attendees of next month’s conference of the WISH, Qatar Foundation’s (QF) global health initiative, will hear from the group of experts leading the research, chaired by Prof Gillian Griffiths, professor of Immunology and Cell Biology, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research. In 2019, she was awarded the Royal Society Buchanan Medal for establishing the fundamental cell biological mechanisms that drive cytotoxic T-cell killing, laying the foundations for informed application of cancer immunotherapy.
“Recent successes in immunotherapy have led to truly remarkable breakthroughs in cancer treatment, making this one of the most exciting and dynamic fields in medical research and bio-pharma right now. Together with the expanding range of applications for which immunotherapies have been found to work, from autoimmunity to infectious diseases such as COVID-19, this means that we’re really only at the beginning of a wave of innovation that’s going to have a dramatic impact on human health,” said Prof Griffiths.
Despite the breakthroughs in clinical benefit in the last decade, meaningful challenges face healthcare stakeholders: patients, providers, innovators, health systems and governments, from costly empirical research to the high cost and complex infrastructure to deliver treatments. The report expands on evidence-based solutions for governments, funders and policymakers to catalyse the discovery, development and delivery of immunotherapies globally.
Weighing in on these challenges, the report proposes a basic framework with four pillars toward realising the full potential of immunotherapy, with an emphasis on investment and innovation to ensure access to treatment. Among the case studies that demonstrate success are Uganda, which has established a Centre of Excellence, and Qatar, a country with a clear, stepped, developmental approach, according to the report.
The new WISH 2020 research report highlights the encouraging results being achieved by immunotherapies, and the upcoming summit from November 15-19 will continue to interrogate how governments and policymakers can help innovators, patients and healthcare providers to overcome the challenges they face in the field.
Extending over five days, WISH 2020 will gather healthcare experts, policymakers and innovators through a uniquely interactive and virtual format to collaborate toward achieving the common goal of building a healthier world under the theme ‘One World Our Health’.
