Universal cancer vaccines takes a step closer
Johannes Gutenberg researchers are using a nanoparticulate RNA immunotherapy approach
Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany have released results from an early human trial, as well as mouse model studies, evaluating the impact of a 'universal cancer vaccine'.
This vaccine is unusual in that it is administered to patients who have already been diagnosed with cancer.
The scientists are using a new nanoparticulate RNA immunotherapy approach – wrapping cancer RNA in a fatty acid membrane and giving it a negative charge – to get the attention of T cells to recognise and destroy cancer cells.
Conducted on only three melanoma patients, the human research is still very early and requires additional patient follow up, but the data is promising thus far. As with any Phase 1 study, the main goal is assessment of safety; the trial was a success in this regard, with side effects limited to flu-like symptoms.
The scientists say they can tweak the vaccine to address any type of cancer, although to date, no human studies have been conducted with the vaccine on any other cancer patients.
A vaccine can have many benefits compared with current cancer therapies: they have fewer side effects than chemotherapy. Vaccines such as this, as well as ProscaVax, a prostate cancer vaccine under development by OncBioMune Pharmaceuticals, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US, are also said to be inexpensive and quickly produced compared with other immunotherapies.
OncBioMune uses prostate specific antigens (PSAs), coupled with biological adjuvants interleukin-2 and GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) in its vaccine to stimulate the immune system to inhibit prostate tumour growth.
ProscaVax is built on a platform technology where the antigen can be changed to address different types of cancer. In broader initial studies, hundreds of patients have been vaccinated. Breast and prostate cancer patients were most frequently vaccinated, with other cancer types including colon, ovarian, lung and melanoma. No toxicity has been reported with the vaccine, regardless of cancer type.
OncBioMune is currently focused on prostate cancer. A Phase I trial is near completion in California and a Phase II/!!! trial is expected to begin through a joint venture in Mexico in the third quarter this year, while another Phase II trial is being prepared in the US in the Harvard Medical School network of hospitals. OncBioMune recently provided an update on clinical studies and attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which can be read here.
