A trial of a cancer vaccine built from patients’ tumors yielded ‘very encouraging results.
Four months after receiving the vaccination, none of the eight patients with head and neck cancer who had a high relapse risk had their tumors return.
In contrast, two individuals in the control group who did not receive the vaccination saw their tumors return.
The vaccination, which employs similar technology to that of AstraZeneca’s Covid injection, utilizes DNA extracted from each patient’s tumor.
The genetic fragment is then put into a weakened virus that is used to administer the injection within the body, so educating the immune system to recognize and combat cancer if it recurs.
It is administered as a weekly injection for six weeks, followed by a booster dosage every three weeks for a year.
The new numbers are insufficient for definitive conclusions, but according to the researchers, “all the data trend in the correct way.”
Vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna Covid are being tested on cancer patients in the United States and Europe.
Each year, more than 12,000 people in the United Kingdom and 65,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with head and neck cancer. They kill somewhat more than 4,000 Britons and 14,000 Americans annually.
Cancer can develop in more than thirty locations of the head and neck, including the mouth and throat.
The new vaccination, with the codename TG4050, was created by the French company Transgene.
Known as a ‘viral vector vaccine,’ it employs a genetically modified vaccinia virus from the same smallpox-causing family.
The pathogen has been utilized in vaccine programs for decades and has been rendered incapable of causing disease.
A fragment of tumor DNA is placed into the virus so that when it is injected into the body, it will instruct the immune system to be on the lookout for cancer cells.
The goal is that the body will be able to identify and destroy cancer cells before they can grow and form tumors.
Doctors are enthusiastic about the vaccine since it is so particular to each individual’s cancer, even though this will increase its cost in the future.
Dr. Maud Brandely, chief medical officer of Transgene, stated that it offered patients “fresh hope” in the quest to cure cancer.
Mutations in cancer cells can differ between people, but a vaccination tailored to each patient should be more effective at targeting these mutant cells.
Patients receive the vaccine after undergoing surgery to remove tumors. It is believed that the vaccination can detect cancer cells before a scan can detect them.
Recently, Brian Wright received his tenth vaccination dosage at Clatterbridge, with ten more shots remaining till January.
A year ago, Mr. Wright underwent a 16-hour procedure to remove a tumor from his mouth and replace his lower jaw with bone from his leg, followed by weeks of arduous radiotherapy.
He told Sky News, “If you’ve got throat cancer and they say they’re going to inject you with cancer, it sounds like ‘oh no you’re not.”
Then, they stated that it won’t give you cancer again since it will make your body immune to it.
Transgene expects to treat a total of 30 patients with head and neck cancer during the trial.
Half will receive the vaccine after their standard therapy, while the other half will receive it when their cancer returns.
“I am quite optimistic,” he remarked. I am quite enthusiastic about it. All of the information points in the proper way.
Professor Ottensmeier stated, “The immune system can see things that we cannot see on scans; it is much wiser than humans.”
If we can train the immune system to recognize cells that might otherwise cause a relapse at a time when we cannot see them, then our patients will have a substantially greater chance of long-term survival.
Another clinical trial of the injection in individuals with ovarian cancer in France and the United States demonstrates good outcomes.
NEW JAB TEACHES CELLS USING A GENETICALLY WEAKENED VIRUS HOW TO IDENTIFY AN OLDER CANCER
How does it work?
The vaccine, codenamed TG4050, is manufactured by the French biotechnology company Transgene.
The patient is injected with a harmless virus containing DNA extracted from their tumors.
The genetically modified virus teaches the patient’s immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells, ideally before the formation of a tumor.
Doctors are confident in the efficacy of the injection because it is custom-made to treat each patient’s disease and the DNA of cancer cells varies from patient to patient.
What resulted from the trial?
Four months later, none of the eight patients who received the vaccine experienced a cancer relapse.
And two of the eight patients who did not receive the immunization relapsed, indicating that the vaccine is protective.
However, the findings are still insufficient to draw clear conclusions; further information is required.
Is there a correlation with Covid vaccines?
The Covid pandemic has accelerated vaccine development, with the Oxford team that developed the AstraZeneca vaccine now employing the same ‘viral vector’ technique to combat prostate cancer.
Viral vector vaccines employ a vaccinia virus from the same family as the virus that causes smallpox that has been genetically engineered.
The pathogen has been utilized in vaccine programs for decades and has been rendered incapable of causing disease.
A fragment of tumor DNA is placed into the virus so that when it is injected into the body, it will instruct the immune system to be on the lookout for cancer cells.
The goal is that the body will be able to identify and destroy cancer cells before they can grow and form tumors.
The mRNA technology used in the Pfizer and Moderna Covid injections has also been tested against different tumors in the United States and Europe.
Can it treat more cancers?
The vaccine has been administered to five ovarian cancer patients in France as part of an ongoing experiment.
If these trials are successful, it is hoped that they will be utilized to treat further tumors in the future.
What does this signify for the future of cancer care?
The chief medical officer of Transgene, Dr. Maud Brandely, stated that the results indicate the injection could provide cancer patients with “fresh hope.”
