Revolutionizing Cancer Care: The Rise of Personalized Cancer Vaccines – By Vincentius Liong/Leong 梁国豪
Source : Vincentius Liong/Leong 梁国豪 LinkedIn
Now we know.
A New Personalized Cancer Vaccines Could Finally Defeat Humanity’s Greatest Killer:
Scientists are developing personalized cancer vaccines that work by training the immune system to recognize and destroy a patient’s unique tumor mutations, also known as neoantigens.
Unlike preventive vaccines, personalized cancer vaccines aim to eliminate leftover cancer cells after treatments like surgery or chemotherapy, which reduces the risk of cancer returning. The challenge lies in selecting the right neoantigens for targeting, triggering a robust immune response, and ensuring patient safety. Recent advancements in cancer biology and technology are making this possible.
Moderna’s mRNA-based vaccine, previously successful against melanoma, is now showing encouraging results in treating HPV-negative head and neck cancer. Of the trial participants, 14 saw some level of tumor control, with two experiencing complete remission.
Similarly, a company called Transgene developed a personalized vaccine called TG4050. Combined with surgery and traditional therapies, it resulted in no cancer recurrences in a group of head and neck cancer patients after over a year of follow-up. BioNTech and Genentech also presented positive data on their personalized vaccine targeting pancreatic cancer, a particularly deadly form of the disease.
Of the patients receiving the vaccine, a significant portion showed strong immune response and lower recurrence rates compared to those who didn’t receive it. A larger phase 2 trial is underway to confirm these findings. While these early-stage studies offer promising results, personalized cancer vaccines hold the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment.
Credits: CTTO, Hashem Al-Ghaili
