targeted therapy

Examples of targeted therapy in the following topics:

• Cancer and Translational Control

  • This idea, that therapy and medicines can be tailored to an individual, has given rise to the field of personalized medicine.
  • With an increased understanding of gene regulation and gene function, medicines can be designed to specifically target diseased cells without harming healthy cells.
  • Some new medicines, called targeted therapies, have exploited the overexpression of a specific protein or the mutation of a gene to develop a new medication to treat disease.
  • Undoubtedly, more targeted therapies will be developed as scientists learn more about how gene expression changes can cause cancer .
  • Target therapies exploit the overexpression of a specific protein or gene mutation to develop new medications against the specific cancer.

• Medical Imaging and Diagnostics

  • Radiation therapy uses ionizing radiation to treat conditions such as hyperthyroidism, cancer, and blood disorders.
  • It may also be used as part of curative therapy, to prevent tumor recurrence after surgery, or to remove a primary malignant tumor.
  • Radiation therapy is in itself painless.
  • Many low-dose palliative treatments (for example, radiation therapy targeting bony metastases) cause minimal or no side effects, although short-term pain flare-ups can be experienced in the days following treatment due to edemas compressing nerves in the treated area.
  • Radiation therapy of the pelvis.

• Therapeutic Uses of Radiation

  • Radiation therapy uses ionizing radiation to treat conditions such as hyperthyroidism, cancer, and blood disorders.
  • It may also be used as part of curative therapy, to prevent tumor recurrence after surgery, or to remove a primary malignant tumor.
  • Radiation therapy is in itself painless.
  • Many low-dose palliative treatments (for example, radiation therapy targeting bony metastases) cause minimal or no side effects, although short-term pain flare-ups can be experienced in the days following treatment due to edemas compressing nerves in the treated area.
  • Radiation therapy of the pelvis.

• Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Therapy

  • Compared to other forms of therapy, psychodynamic therapy emphasizes the relationship between client and therapist as an agent of change.
  • In the treatment of psychological distress, psychodynamic therapies target the client's inner conflict, from where repressed behaviors and emotions surface into the patient's consciousness.
  • There are several forms of psychodynamic psychotherapy, such as interpersonal therapy (IPT) and person-centered therapy.
  • Person-centered therapy is less structured and non-directive.
  • In 2013, the world's largest randomized controlled trial on therapy with anorexia outpatients, the ANTOP study, proved modified psychodynamic therapy to be more effective than cognitive behavioral therapy in the long term.

• Antisense Agents

  • Antisense agents are short oligonucleotides that bind to target messenger RNA and inhibit protein synthesis.
  • When this agent binds to the pathogen DNA or messenger RNA, the biosynthesis of target proteins is disrupted.
  • The advantage of antisense therapy is that they can be manufactured fairly fast, they produce a lasting clinical effect, and they are highly specific to the target.
  • Antisense agents also exhibit efficacy in broader clinical applications such as cancer therapy.
  • Discuss the mechanism of antisense agents and the advantages and disadvantages of antisense therapy

• Biotechnology in Medicine

  • The discovery of potential therapies will be made easier using genome targets.
  • With modern biotechnology, these genes can be used as targets for the development of effective new therapies, which could significantly shorten the drug discovery process.
  • Genomic knowledge of the genes involved in diseases, disease pathways, and drug-response sites are expected to lead to the discovery of thousands more new targets.
  • Gene therapy is a genetic engineering technique used to cure disease.
  • Gene therapy using an adenovirus vector can be used to cure certain genetic diseases in which a person has a defective gene.

• Monoclonal Antibodies

  • Monoclonal antibody therapy is the use of monoclonal antibodies (or mAb) to specifically bind to target cells or proteins.
  • It is possible to create a mAb specific to almost any extracellular/ cell surface target, and thus there is a large amount of research and development currently being undertaken to create monoclonals for numerous serious diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and different types of cancers).
  • There are a number of ways that mAbs can be used for therapy.
  • For example, mAb therapy can be used to destroy malignant tumor cells and prevent tumor growth by blocking specific cell receptors.
  • Variations also exist within this treatment, such as radioimmunotherapy, where a radioactive dose localizes on a target cell line, delivering lethal chemical doses to the target.

• Cognitive and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies

  • Cognitive therapy (CT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are closely related; however CBT is an umbrella category of therapies that includes cognitive therapy.
  • The category refers to behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and therapies based on a combination of basic behavioral and cognitive principles and research, including dialectical behavior therapy.
  • At its most basic level, it is a combination of cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy.
  • Modern forms of CBT include a number of diverse but related techniques such as exposure therapy, stress inoculation training, cognitive processing therapy, cognitive therapy, relaxation training, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which is discussed in more detail below.
  • Centered around that is a feedback loop between behavior, thoughts, and feelings, all of which are the target of CBT.

• Classical Conditioning in Behavioral Therapy

• Operant Conditioning in Behavioral Therapy