Top 10 Breakthroughs of Science Magazine in 2013
The annual list of breakthrough scientific achievements, selected by Science and its international nonprofit publisher AAAS, includes research in cancer immunotherapy, solar technology, genome editing techniques, and vaccine design strategies—to name a few—and more. major breakthroughs have been made. The list of the top 10 breakthroughs will be published in the December 20, 2013 issue of Science magazine, along with a related news feature and multimedia content.
Science Celebrates Recent Successes in Cancer Immunotherapy and More Scientific Breakthroughs
The cancer research community underwent a sea change in 2013, as a strategy that had been in the works for decades finally established its potential. Encouraging results have emerged from clinical trials of cancer immunotherapy, in which the treatment targets the body's immune system rather than directly targeting the tumor. The new treatment prompts T cells and other immune cells to fight tumors -- and Science editors say they're showing enough promise to top the list of the year's most important scientific breakthroughs.
Cancer immunotherapy grabbed the No. 1 spot on Science's list of breakthrough scientific achievements because recent results so far underscore its success, although its ultimate impact on the disease is unknown.
Many of today's advances in cancer immunotherapy date back to the late 1980s, when French researchers discovered a receptor called CTLA-4 on T cells. James Allison discovered that this receptor prevents T cells from attacking intruders with all their might. By the mid-1990s, Allison showed that blocking CTLA-4 in mice unshackled T cells from attacking tumor cells, causing them to shrink dramatically.
Meanwhile, Japanese researchers discovered another "gateway" on T cells called PD-1. Clinical trials involving the receptor began in 2006, and preliminary results in a small group of patients appear promising.
Another area of interest involves modifying the genes of T cells so that these cells can target tumors. In 2011, the strategy, known as chimeric antigen therapy, or CAR therapy, excited the cancer research field, and it is now the subject of numerous clinical trials, particularly in blood cancers.
Accordingly, many pharmaceutical companies that would not have considered immunotherapy a few years ago are now investing heavily in it.
Much uncertainty remains about exactly how many patients will benefit from these treatments, and for which types of cancer they work best. Scientists are busy thinking of ways to make treatments more effective. But a new chapter in cancer research and treatment has opened, and the journal Science recognizes this fact by identifying cancer immunotherapy as the most significant scientific breakthrough of 2013.
Nine other scientific breakthroughs made by Science in the past year are listed below.
CRISPR: This gene-editing technique was discovered in bacteria, but researchers are now targeting individual genes as a kind of surgical scalpel. Its popularity has skyrocketed this year, as more than a dozen research groups use it to manipulate the genomes of multiple plant, animal and human cells.
Perovskite solar cells: A new generation of solar cell materials that have gained a lot of attention over the past year are cheaper and easier to produce than those traditional silicon cells. Perovskite cells are not yet as efficient as commercial solar cells, but they are improving rapidly and continuously.
Structural biology guides vaccine design: This year, researchers used the structure of an antibody to design an immunogen for a childhood virus—the main ingredient in vaccines; the virus that causes millions of hospitalizations each year. This is the first time such a powerful disease-fighting tool has been derived from structural biology.
CLARITY: This imaging technique changed the way researchers looked at the complex organ, the brain, in 2013, making brain tissue transparent and allowing neurons (and other brain cells) to be on full display.
Mini Organs: Researchers have made significant progress this year in growing miniature human-like "organoids" in vitro. These organoids include liver buds, mini-kidneys and mini-brains. These miniature human organs may prove to be much better models of human disease than animals.
Cosmic rays can be traced back to the remnants of supernovae: Although initially detected 100 years ago, scientists have been unsure where high-energy particles from outer space called cosmic rays come from. This year they finally linked the rays to a supernova, or a cloud of debris left behind by an exploding star.
Human cloned embryos: Recognizing that caffeine plays an important role in stabilizing a key molecule in vulnerable human egg cells, this year researchers succeeded in generating stem cells from cloned human embryos.
Why we sleep: Studies in mice show that the brain cleans itself more efficiently during sleep by expanding the channels between neurons to allow more cerebrospinal fluid to flow through. The findings suggest that both recovery and repair are among the main purposes of sleep.
Our Microbes, Our Health: Research on the trillions of bacterial cells that call the human body home has shed light on how much these microbes affect us. "Personalized" medicine needs to take these microbial tenants into account to be effective.