Researchers at the Translational Research Institute in Australia, in collaboration with the University of Queensland, are ready to test a new cancer vaccine in humans. The results of studies on human cells and mice that have just been published have been positive. The vaccine does not prevent the development of tumors, but it does help the immune system to recognize and fight them.
- The cancer vaccine is supposed to work similarly to other vaccinations – to prepare the immune system for possible contact with the “enemy”
- Australian researchers say the vaccine can be used against different types of cancer, either delaying disease progression or eliminating it entirely
- After positive results of animal testing, the vaccine enters the human testing stage
Cancer vaccine – how does it work?
The idea of a cancer vaccine is not new, and many teams around the world are currently conducting clinical trials of variants of it. A vaccine made from cancer cell proteins is similar to a vaccine against any disease. It prepares our immune system to recognize a molecule called WT1, which is commonly found in many types of cancer. After such preparation, the immune system should remember it and then eliminate it like a bacterium or a virus.
The results obtained by a team of Australian researchers could speed up the development of a larger-scale cancer vaccine, which scientists have been striving for decades. Australians believe it can be used against different types of cancer, either delaying the progression of the disease or eliminating it altogether.
“We hope the vaccine will help treat blood cancers such as myeloid leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma or childhood leukemia, as well as breast, lung, kidney, ovarian and pancreatic cancer, and glioblastoma,” says team leader Professor Kristen Radford.
“Patients with advanced cancer have few treatment options at their disposal,” says Prof. Radford. – Immunotherapy is one of the most promising and effective methods. Hopefully, by boosting the immune response with our vaccine, cancer therapy will not have serious side effects and will become more effective.
The Australian vaccine contains a mixture of antibodies attached to a protein specific for the tumor. The researchers hope that when presented to dendritic cells (a type of white blood cell), the tumor protein will be recognized by a different type of immune cell (CD8 +), activating them and triggering a response from the entire immune system. The tests that have been carried out so far have shown that the vaccine elicits an immune response.
Moreover, according to Professor Radford, it is more profitable than others currently being developed.
“First, it can be produced without the cost and logistical problems associated with personalized vaccines,” he says. – And second, it targets key cancer cells required to initiate a specific immune response, thus maximizing the potential efficacy of treatment and minimizing side effects.
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