Scientist Riad Hajdarevic from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)works in the largest center for cancer patients in Scandinavia, where he deals with the most modern technology for cancer treatment.
Hajdarevic is employed at the Institute for Cancer Research at Radium Hospital in Oslo, which has a long tradition in cancer treatment and research. Working at the PRIMA (Precision Immunotherapy Alliance) center enables this scientist to collaborate with the most prestigious centers in Europe and America.
He completed his doctorate in the field of immunology on the topic of autoimmune diseases and used this as the basis for his first post-doctorate when he researched glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. He currently works as a researcher/scientist with occasional engagements as an external associate in BiH and abroad.
Scientist Hajdarevic spoke about the latest innovations and contributions in the treatment of cancerous diseases.
“Until recently, the concept of non-surgical cancer treatment was relatively simple – to destroy as many cancer cells as possible while destroying or damaging as few healthy cells as possible. Everyone is familiar with the terms ‘chemotherapy’ and ‘radiation’. However, everyone knows that both carry sometimes have enormous consequences for the patient in terms of quality of life, and in some cases are the direct cause of death. This is exactly why new therapies are being sought that could replace standard treatment,” he indicated.
For one such approach, Hajdarevic singles out immunotherapy, which, as he says, is the collective name for the use of the immune system and molecules of the immune system in the fight against cancer.
“There are many types of immunotherapy, from treatment with monoclonal antibodies (such as rituximab) to cell therapy where special immune cells are designed in the laboratory, multiplied and injected back into the patient in the hope that the body will fight the disease better. That therapy (CARTcell therapy) is very successful in non-solid tumors, but due to the much more complex picture of the intratumoral space in solid tumors, they are less effective,” he explained.
What exactly is immunotherapy and to which patients it is given and how it differs from chemotherapy, explained Hajdarevic.
“Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps the body’s immune system fight cancer. The immune system, which helps your body fight infections and other diseases, is made up of white blood cells and the tissues and organs of the lymphatic system. Some forms of immunotherapy increase the immune system’s ability to detect and destroy cancer cells. Other forms of immunotherapy can target specific parts of cancer cells or signals that help tumors grow,” he explained.
He states that chemotherapy and immunotherapy are two different approaches to cancer treatment, each with their own mechanisms of action and side effect profiles.
“Chemotherapy uses chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in the body, including cancer cells. It does not specifically target cancer cells, which means it can also damage healthy, rapidly dividing cells, such as cells in the hair, skin. On the other hand, immunotherapy promotes or helps the body’s immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells. It can target specific markers on cancer cells or modulate the overall activity of the immune system to improve its ability to fight cancer. Cancer treatment regimens are sometimes very complex, so you’ll often see several different treatments at the same time or in a row,” he noted.
Hajdarevic and his group decided to artificially engineer a subtype of T cells called regulatory T cells.
“We’re trying to figure out what T regulatory cells actually do and how they control T effector cells and how that knowledge can lead us to control the killing of cancer cells. To do that, we use CRISPR modifications by selectively inserting or removing genes from those T regulatory cells that we suspect exert a significant function on the immunosuppressiveness exhibited by T regulatory cells. After that, we artificially induce cancer in mice and inject them with these modified T regulatory cells and observe how the condition changes from day to day,” he described.
Hajdarevic hopes to succeed in producing a therapy that will be easy to handle, effective and universal.
He thinks it is difficult to say anything about the future of cancer treatment.
“With the appearance of artificial intelligence on the scene in all spheres of life, many things will move faster than expected. I personally believe that the best medicine will be prevention in the form of new vaccination technologies,” he claims.
In addition, Hajdarevic indicated that certain diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes are actually diseases that are a reflection of modern society.
“I am not someone who would prevent people from doing what they want in any respect. Everyone has the right to eat or do anything. However, the lack of an adequate form of information through the Internet and the media irritates me terribly, and also scares me a little,” he pointed out.
Asked how he evaluates the healthcare system of BiH compared to the system in Norway, Hajdarevic said that the system cannot be compared.
“I’m not just talking about the resources and money that Norway has. For example, Cuba is a very poor country, but it has a very good health system. In Norway, everything is digitized, but people are very pleasant and warm in all professions in which you need help. Also, everyone sticks to their profession and abilities. If you need a dermatologist, an immunologist will not dare to give you advice, let alone a nurse. There is no shame in not knowing as in our society. Computers and manuals are used at all times because they are aware that arrogance and the delusion that someone can know everything about something costs human lives,” he emphasized, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
