Cancer Vaccines?

[Hazelgreen]

Here is a link to Science Daily News: sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

"The UArizona Cancer Center is one of several sites where patients were recruited to participate in the phase I clinical trial sponsored by Moderna, Inc. The trial is studying the use of a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine in combination with Pembrolizumab for patients with multiple cancer types, including colorectal and head and neck cancers. No clinical responses were noted for the study's cohort of 17 microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal patients.

"The data are preliminary and the sample size is small, but it is promising," Dr. Bauman said. "A phase I trial is about safety first and foremost, and we now know this treatment is safe and tolerable. But, we also have a strong signal to point us to further study this in head and neck cancer. That is why we are excited to expand this trial."

Personalized cancer vaccines are an emerging treatment option that uses a patient's own cancer cells to develop a vaccine intended to teach their immune system how to recognize and destroy their cancer. Cancer cells have DNA mutations that differ from the DNA in normal, healthy cells. These mutations are different from patient to patient, which is where the concept of a personalized vaccine is developed. Combining the personalized vaccine with Pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy medicine that works with the immune system to fight certain types of cancers, will hopefully allow further benefit to patients than pembrolizumab alone.

To identify the patient-specific mutations of the cancer, mutated DNA from the patient's tumor is simultaneously sequenced with healthy DNA from the patient's blood. Computers compare the two DNA samples to identify the unique cancer mutations. The results are used to develop a set of genetic instructions that are loaded onto a single molecule of messenger RNA (mRNA) and made into a vaccine. These instructions teach immune cells such as T-cells -- white blood cells that help protect against infection -- how to identify and attack the mutated cancer cells."

[Paigeparker]

Wow. This sounds incredible. Thank you for sharing. Gives me some hope ❤️

[Hazelgreen in reply to Paigeparker]

I agree with you Paige! It may take much research, but surely this is the way cancer research should go. It is very clear that the drugs we have are not doing much of note!

[mariootsi]

Wow! Amazing! Hope this vaccine trend continues and will be available for everyone and every type of cancer at an individualized level.

[Hazelgreen in reply to mariootsi]

The individualized approach may be the only useful research happening these days. I just hope that it won't be so expensive that only the family members of rich corporate executives can afford it!

[mariootsi in reply to Hazelgreen]

I know!

[Hazelgreen]

Tonight I watched a Youtube video on grown-up child prodigies ("Is the Life of a Child Prodigy Lonely? | Where Are They Now | Oprah Winfrey Network") In it, a computational biologist mentions his work on developing really effective targeted therapies for individual versions of cancer. He works at a lab in Mount Sinai University, and was only ten when he went to college. I mention this purely because it does seem that there are several labs now looking at individualizing messenger RNA approaches to treating cancers. I find that a hopeful sign.