USA: Researchers start first human study on breast cancer vaccine

United States
Researchers start first human study on breast cancer vaccine

Researchers at the American Cleveland Clinic have started a study for a novel vaccine to prevent triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and deadly form of the disease. The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved an application for approval of the Cleveland Clinic and its partner Anixa Biosciences to begin the study. The Cleveland Clinic announced this on its own website. Several medical magazines reported.

The study is based on two decades of laboratory and animal testing and will be the first human study of its kind in the world. It initially comprises 18 to 24 convalescents who were affected by triple negative breast cancer in the early stages and who are at high risk of developing breast cancer again. The researchers hope that after the first step, the vaccine can also be tested in healthy people at high risk of developing the disease. This applies, for example, to people who have been diagnosed with a BRCA1 gene mutation. People with this gene mutation are at higher risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. A prominent example is Angelina Jolie, who had her breasts prophylactically amputated in the past.

Least effective treatments for triple negative breast cancer

“We hope that this research will lead to further studies to determine the effectiveness of the vaccine against this highly aggressive type of breast cancer,” says Dr. G. Thomas Budd of the Taussig Cancer Institute at the Cleveland Clinic and who led the study. “In the long term, we hope that this vaccine can be given preventively to healthy women to save them from developing triple-negative breast cancer, the type of breast cancer for which we have the least effective treatments,” said the researcher.

There would be a great need for treatments for triple negative breast cancer because it lacks the biological characteristics that typically respond to hormonal or targeted therapies. Although it accounts for only about 12-15 percent of all breast cancers, triple negative breast cancer accounts for a disproportionately high percentage of deaths and has a higher relapse rate. This type of breast cancer is twice as common in African American women and makes up about 70 to 80 percent of breast tumors found in women with the BRCA1 gene mutation.

Vaccine targets a lactoprotein

“This vaccine represents a potential new way to fight breast cancer,” said Dr. Vincent Tuohy, the lead vaccine inventor and chief immunologist at the Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Tuohy is listed as the inventor of the new vaccine, which the Cleveland Clinic licensed exclusively from Anixa Biosciences. He receives part of the income in the event of a market entry and is also personally involved in the company.

The vaccine targets the lactation protein α-lactalbumin, which is normally only produced after breastfeeding and is no longer found in normal, aging tissue – although it is excessively present in 70 to 80 percent of triple negative breast cancers. The substance is said to stimulate the immune system to fight against this “worn out” protein and to attack the cells that produce it. The vaccine also contains a drug that makes the immune system aware of α-lactalbumin, thereby increasing the body’s immune response.

Basis for other vaccines

“This vaccine strategy has the potential to be applied to other types of tumors,” said Dr. Vincent Tuohy. “Our transnational research program is focused on developing vaccines that will prevent diseases we face in old age, such as breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer. If these vaccines are successful, they have the potential, the way, how we fight and change cancer in adulthood and increase life expectancy in a similar way to what the vaccination program for children did, “adds the researcher.

Dr. Budd admitted, however, that it could take years to get to that point. But he remains optimistic: “We have to start somewhere – and we are very happy to be taking the first step.” The study is expected to be completed in September 2022.

Sources: “IFL Science”, “Cleveland Clinic”

This article originally appeared on stern.de.

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