Cancer Vaccine Advancements
“I don’t think there’s a limit to the type of tumor we could potentially treat.”
In the United States alone, there are over 1.5 million new cases of cancer diagnosed every single year, affecting thousands of patients and their families. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have been working towards finding ways to eradicate the deadly disease, making huge strides towards a potential cure.
Utilizing Cancer Immunotherapy techniques, researchers use the power of the human immune system to fight off cancerous cells. In two new approaches, Stanford researchers have innovated ways to both prevent future cancer development and treat existing, solidified cancer tumors that have already formed.
In a new study published in Cell Stem Cell, led by Joseph Wu and fellow researchers at Stanford University, the group focuses on a preventative 'vaccine,' aimed to sensitize the immune system and kick it into "high-alert." This proactive treatment is completed by sampling the patient’s own cells, reprogramming them, and training them to attack cancerous cells. This technique, using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (or iPSCs), is particularly groundbreaking as the stem cells are taken directly from the patient. This eliminates the unfavorable side effects commonly caused by host incompatibility.
Additionally, while the immune system becomes trained to identify dangerous, cancerous antigens, it's simultaneously able to generate antibodies to further protect the patient from both the specific cancer being treated, as well as, a variety of other potential cancers.
For solid, cancerous tumors that have already formed, Stanford’s Ronald Levy and his team of researchers are taking a more direct and targeted approach. In this method, published in Science Translational Medicine, Levy injects a solution made of two compounds, directly into the developed tumor. These slight amounts of solution stimulate the immune cells within the tumor itself; acting as a booster to overpower the cancerous tumor.
Since the body’s own immune cells are essentially super-charged, through this injection, they are trained to destroy additional cancerous cells of similar manner detected throughout the body.
Unlike the preventative technique developed by Wu, this method does not require a blood or skin sample from the patient. Moreover, in comparison to other treatments, Levy's latest innovation appears to be relatively inexpensive, making it accessible to a wide array of people.
Both of these methods, which have currently been tested on laboratory mice, have had tremendous results, with researchers concluding over 90% of the mice as cancer-free. Stanford researchers are now looking forward to beginning clinical trials, anticipating similarly positiveresults.
In the climate of increased medical and technical advancements, these innovative, new developments are extremely exciting and important, potentially saving countless lives and changing the trajectory of the disease forever.