Researchers have developed a nanoparticle-based cancer vaccine that has been able to prevent multiple types of cancer in mice with the findings published in the prestigious Cell Reports Medicine
A groundbreaking new study could pave the way for a ‘next-generation’ cancer vaccine which has not only cleared existing tumours but also completely prevented the disease’s spread in some cases. Scientists from the University of Massachusetts Amherst revealed their findings in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.
Looking at mouse models, their nanoparticle-based jab was able to prevent melanoma, pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancer. The same jab can also shrink and clear cancer tumours alongside its preventative properties.
88% of the vaccinated mice remained tumour-free and while some had the spread of the disease reduced, others saw the cancer’s spread completely stopped in its tracks. The experimental drug hasn’t yet been trialled in humans.
The “super adjuvant” jab works similarly to the flu shot as it introduces weakened particles of the targeted disease into the body. The formulation of the vaccine then activates immune cells and primes them to recognise and attack these cancer cells.
The mice were given the jab and exposed to melanoma three weeks later. 80% of these mice remained tumour-free and survived until the end of the 250-day study.
In comparison, mice that were unvaccinated or received traditional vaccine systems without nanoparticle formulations didn’t survive for more than 35 days. When it comes to specific cancers, the tumour rejection rates for vaccinated mice were as high as 88% for pancreatic cancer, 75% for breast cancer and 69% for melanoma.
Additionally, the vaccinated mice were also exposed to systemic cancer cells that mimic how cancer spreads across different parts of the body, known as metastasizing, targeting the lungs. None of them developed lung tumours, while all of the other mice did.
This means that the vaccine could be making the immune system remember how it fought off the cancer cells in one area and use that information in another part of the body. Which is a key element of survival when facing cancer.
Prabhani Atukorale, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the Riccio College of Engineering at UMass Amherst and corresponding author on the paper said: “By engineering these nanoparticles to activate the immune system via multi-pathway activation that combines with cancer-specific antigens, we can prevent tumor growth with remarkable survival rates.
Atukorale’s previous research showed her novel nanoparticle-based drug design could shrink and clear cancer tumors in mice. This new study has now proven that it can also work to prevent cancer in the first place.
The researchers say that their design offers a platform approach that could be used across multiple cancer types. They hope their findings can be applied to create both therapeutic and preventative programs for people at a higher risk of cancer.
Griffin Kane, postdoctoral research associate at UMass Amherst and first author on the paper added: “The real core technology that our company has been founded on is this nanoparticle and this treatment approach.” Next, Atukorale and Kane are already working on extending this technology to create a therapeutic vaccine.