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BioMedizone Immunology Research Competition: Ally Fung And Kara Lai

Updated: Jun 5, 2025

26/8/2024

Ally Fung, Kara Lai

BioMedizone’s Immunology Research Competition


Rethinking Targeted Immunotherapy as New Paths for Public Health


Introduction

Recently, there has been a growing trend of people opting for targeted therapies over

traditional vaccines, accompanied by a sharp increase in medical costs as it is more costly than

other treatments. Targeted therapies involve treatments that specifically target and recognise

diseased cells, which can minimise the side effects. In contrast, traditional vaccines provide

broad protection against pathogens and are not tailored to specific genetic factors. It

encompasses cancer vaccines, adjuvants and immune modulators, and targeted delivery systems,

offering personalised solutions. Despite the numerous advantages of targeted therapies, it is

undeniably harmful to society in different aspects. Therefore, it is significant to delve into the

downsides of targeted therapy in the public sphere, which can be tackled by AI-based image

analysis that can mitigate the negative effects of targeted therapy at the core.

Societal implications

The shift from traditional vaccination approaches to more targeted therapies represents a

significant transition in healthcare delivery. This transformation, although beneficial, may result

in increased healthcare costs, potentially leading to disparities in accessibility, particularly in

low-resource settings. As of 2023, approximately 14.5 million infants worldwide did not receive

vaccinations, with the majority residing in ten specific countries, such as but not limited to the

Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen (WHO). Moreover, the disparity in the opportunity

to receive treatment between higher and lower economic brackets due to poor affordability of

specialised treatments raises concerns regarding equitable access. Moreover, the introduction of

targeted therapies may necessitate distinct regulatory frameworks compared to traditional

vaccines. Issues such as informed consent and patient privacy must be carefully addressed.

Under this line of thinking, this transition could pose challenges in maintaining herd immunity,

particularly for highly contagious diseases, emphasising the need to balance personalised

therapies and population-level public health strategies.

Ethical considerations

Equity disparities also raise ethical considerations. While traditional vaccines aim to

provide broad protection across populations, targeted therapies tend to be more costly and may

only be accessible to particular segments of society. Evidence towards this phenomenon would

be that targeted therapies are an important type of cancer treatment that target specific molecular

changes in cancer cells, rather than broadly affecting all rapidly dividing cells like traditional

chemotherapy, but only a small proportion of patients (10-15%) are successfully treated with

genotype-matched targeted therapies during its development. This raises apprehensions

regarding the fair distribution of these new treatments particularly for marginalized or


disadvantaged communities. Given their higher cost, ethical deliberations such as fairness and

justice may not be ascertained.

Additionally, targeted therapies often involve more intricate genetic or molecular

interventions, potentially leading to challenges in patients’ comprehensive comprehension of

associated risks and benefits. As a personalised approach in development, targeted therapies may

carry the risk of unforeseen effects on the immune system or other physiological processes.

Concerns regarding potential long-term impacts, initially unrecognised in clinical trials, warrant

meticulous post-marketing surveillance. Furthermore, the reliance of targeted therapies on

genetic information raises apprehensions about safeguarding personal data and the potential for

genetic discrimination. Consequently, robust privacy protections and anti-discrimination policies

are indispensable.

Certain targeted therapies, such as those involving gene editing, could conceivably be

misused for non-medical purposes, thereby creating the potential for dual-use

miscommunication, which calls for further oversight towards its usage. In view of this, ethical

considerations towards the usage of targeted therapies can overturn the actual purpose of this

transition, which is to ensure better for patients with more rapid immunisation.

Scientific challenges

The transition from traditional vaccination methods to targeted therapies presents

significant scientific challenges such as antigen selection complications, where the identification

of optimal tumour antigens is pivotal for the success of targeted therapies. Both shared tumour

antigens and personalized neoantigens present distinct advantages and challenges.

While shared antigens may be less immunogenic due to immune tolerance, personalized

neoantigens necessitate complex and costly identification and manufacturing processes. Tumour

heterogeneity also poses a pressing issue, given the significant genetic and phenotypic variations

observed in tumours, making the effective targeting of a single antigen arduous. Overcoming this

challenge may require targeting multiple antigens or employing combination therapies.

Additionally, the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment further complicates matters by

inhibiting the immune response. Strategies such as combining targeted therapies with immune

checkpoint inhibitors are actively researched to counter this issue.

Evaluating the efficacy of targeted therapies presents challenges, as traditional clinical

endpoints may not adequately capture the complex immune responses induced by these

treatments. Moreover, the specialized manufacturing processes and intricate delivery methods

required for targeted therapies like personalized mRNA vaccines present practical obstacles that

must be overcome for the widespread adoption of these therapies.

Future Direction

Recognising the significant impact of targeted therapy on society, it is crucial to

investigate possible future treatments against various cancerous diseases. One significant

prospect is to overcome recent restrictions on AI-based image analysis. As one of the most

notable limitations in the field of immunotherapy is the need for additional biomarkers, utilising

AI-based image analysis in the field of immunology allows the discovery of undiscovered


biomarkers of various diseases to solve this problem. Additionally, in order to provide future

feasible immunological treatments, the AI deep learning system could be harnessed to discover

possible treatments for the disease identified by the biomarker.

AI-based imaging analysis and deep learning have undeniably improved targeted therapy

efficiency, as AI-generated treatments through newly discovered biomarkers minimise the time

used for biomarker discovery. Uncovering more biomarkers allows clinicians to provide the most

suitable and personalised targeted therapy to patients, instead of administering generalised

therapies with lower potency. Moreover, it reduces the workforce used in discovering further

treatments as the workload is passed to AI, mitigating the stress induced in the medical field, and

reducing accidents in the medical industry. Therefore it is foreseeable that future use of AI for

immunological treatments can speed up the identification process of diseases, thereby

accelerating the treatment process.

Furthermore, making use of AI-based imaging analysis on biomarkers to generate

solutions to diseases allows treatments to be more accessible, such as vaccines and therapies. By

designing an AI-assisted biomarker discovery pipeline that can be widely implemented across

socioeconomic barriers, the number of patients waiting to be treated can be reduced and more

patients can be allowed to be treated in a shorter period. Additionally, utilising AI in providing

treatments reduces the reliance on manpower in diagnosing and generating solutions and possible

manmade mistakes in judgement, resulting in a lower cost of medical treatment. This allows

more families and individuals to have access to medications and therapies

Nevertheless, there may be concerns surrounding targeted therapy, particularly the

resistance to targeted therapy and tumour evolution. It is a condition where cancer cells develop

resistance by mutating, preventing therapeutic interactions and rendering it ineffective.

Therefore, regular monitoring and even alternative therapies are needed. In addition, side effects

may be unforeseen and dependent on the individual’s lifestyle and genetic predispositions, and

cannot be easily predicted.

Conclusion

While targeted therapies have brought a high success rate of up to 80% of cases (“Targeted

Therapy: Stopping Cancer in Its Tracks”), targeted therapy raises several considerations

regarding societal implications including healthcare costs, ethical concerns about unequal access

to pharmaceuticals, and significant scientific challenges such as uncertain antigen selection.

Thereby, AI-based imaging analysis and deep learning techniques are proposed to enhance

biomarker discovery efficiency. Nonetheless, there are possible public health concerns about

targeted therapy such as resistance to therapy and its side effects. As a result, it is crucial for the

public to acknowledge the significant effects brought by targeted therapy, and society must

maintain a holistic perspective and be receptive to combination therapies that potentially

minimise risks.


Works Cited


“Frontiers | Recent Advances in MRNA Cancer Vaccines: Meeting Challenges and

Embracing Opportunities.” Frontiers,

ll. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.

“Immunization Coverage.” World Health Organization (WHO),

Aug. 2024.

“Medical Sciences | Free Full-Text | Prospects and Challenges in Developing MRNA

Vaccines for Infectious Diseases and Oncogenic Viruses.” MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital

Publishing Institute, https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3271/12/2/28. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.

“Molecular Profiling for Precision Cancer Therapies | Genome Medicine | Full Text.”

0703-1. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.

“Study Reveals Lack of Access as Root Cause for Mental Health Crisis in America -

National Council for Mental Wellbeing.” National Council for Mental Wellbeing,

in-america/. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.

“Targeted Therapy - Cancer Treatment | Samitivej Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.”

Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand,

therapy#:~:text=While%20chemotherapy%20offers%20around%20a,up%20to%2080%25

%20of%20cases. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.

“Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines: Advancements, Challenges, and Prospects | Signal

Transduction and Targeted Therapy.” Nature, Springer Nature,

 
 
 

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