The cancer vaccine has become a reality. In the near future, clinical trials of a drug that rightfully claims to be revolutionary can begin. Volunteers will take part in the tests, which will be conducted by biologists from Stanford University.
Vaccine developers emphasize that it is still too early to celebrate the final victory over cancer. According to them, so far the process of developing a vaccine is in the initial stages. The drug will be ready in at least two or three years – for now, scientists want to finally make sure that the drug will be safe for patients.
The main goal of American biologists is the development of new types of immunotherapy that could not only “set” the body’s defenses against malignant cells, but could “teach” the immune system to identify them and distinguish them from normal tissues.
To date, two revolutionary drugs have already been created. Scientists have already been convinced of their effectiveness: 97% of experimental mice got rid of various types of tumors after the introduction of vaccines. It is noteworthy that in rodents the drug did not cause any serious adverse reactions, with the exception of minor skin irritation.
The next stage is testing the vaccine with the involvement of volunteers. This year, two series of studies will be conducted. Thirty-five volunteers who were diagnosed with mild forms of lymphoma agreed to take part in them.
Each participant will receive two injections of an immune system activator and a molecule that “sets” the body’s defenses against pathologically altered cells. After that, the volunteers will undergo a series of examinations in the laboratories of Stanford University. The main purpose of these trials is to make sure the vaccine is safe for health.
If the experiments are successful, the development of a new generation of vaccines can begin, which affects more types of the disease and promotes the development of “immunity” to tumors. At the same time, the developers themselves are confident that the studies will be successful, since both components present in the drug have already been approved by regulatory authorities.
Immunotherapy is the most promising direction in the fight against cancer, molecular biologists say. The researchers set themselves an ambitious goal: to gradually “teach” the body to independently attack cells that have undergone pathological changes.