Cancer Vaccine Shows 88% Efficacy for Some Cancer Types in Mice
Like other common vaccines designed to prevent or reduce the effects of viral infection, a new cancer vaccine is showing exciting efficacy in protecting against a range of cancers. Initial tests at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are among the first successfully combining nanoparticles and an adjuvant to block tumor growth.
Of Mice and Antigens
The research team vaccinated with nanoparticles containing cancer-specific peptides before subsequently exposing the test animals to melanoma. The 250-day study had encouraging results, with 80% of mice that received the vaccine staying tumor-free. Mice that weren’t given the vaccine or received other formulations succumbed within a few weeks.
Related: mRNA Vaccine May Improve Pancreatic Cancer Outcomes
A similar version of the test introduced tumor lysate, a substance comprised of broken-up cancer cells. In theory, the substance would be enough to alert the mice’s immune system to the presence of several cancer types and either prevent or slow the growth of those cancer types. The tumor lysate test subjects were exposed to either melanoma, pancreatic, or breast cancer tumors. After 250 days, most mice given the vaccine were cancer-free, although rates varied slightly by cancer type:
Pancreatic cancer: 88%
Breast cancer: 75%
Melanoma: 69%
Even when researchers actively tried to spread cancer in the surviving mice, 100% were healthy after the testing concluded.
Not Your Normal Cancer Vaccine
The researchers credit the super adjuvant for the vaccine’s success. The substance is made of lipid nanoparticles that encapsulate two unique adjuvants and deliver them at the same time to stimulate an increased immune response. To date, this technique hasn’t been tested in humans, and researchers believe the most likely application will be to treat cancer patients after diagnosis and to prevent cancer in patients with elevated risk profiles.
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