Tag Archives: mesothelioma vaccine

Could an Inhaled Vaccine Help Prevent Mesothelioma?

inhaled vaccine

Research at MIT suggests that an inhaled vaccine may trigger a strong immune response against infections and even cancer in the lungs. The findings could be good news for people at risk for the rare lung-related cancer, pleural mesothelioma.  Lung infections often start on mucosal membranes. So researchers developed a vaccine that binds to a protein in mucus. When they immunized mice in a way that mimics an inhaled vaccine, their lungs produced many T-cells. T-cells are immune system cells that can help fight infections and cancer.  Pleural mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. Right now, there is no way to vaccinate against it and no cure. If an inhaled vaccine could bring more T-cells to the lungs of … Continue reading Could an Inhaled Vaccine Help Prevent Mesothelioma? »

Mesothelioma Vaccine Receives Orphan Drug Approval

woman mesothelioma doctor holds syringe

Mesothelioma patients who are not candidates for surgery may soon have another treatment option. The FDA has granted orphan drug approval to a new cancer vaccine called CRS-207. CRS-207 is manufactured by Aduro Biotech, Inc. and is made from an attenuated (less potent) version of the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. CRS-207 triggers a powerful immune response against cells that produce mesothelin, a tumor-associated antigen produced by several types of cancer, including mesothelioma. Because it works in conjunction with the body’s natural immune responses, CRS-207 is classified as a type of immunotherapy. Aduro Biotech is currently enrolling mesothelioma patients in a Phase 1b clinical trial of CRS-207. They are looking for 40 mesothelioma patients who have inoperable cancer and have not yet … Continue reading Mesothelioma Vaccine Receives Orphan Drug Approval »

Mesothelioma Vaccine Enters Phase 2 Testing

The makers of a new cancer vaccine say they have enrolled the first mesothelioma patients in a study that will combine their drug with chemotherapy against this virulent cancer. The drug, currently known as CRS-207, is manufactured by Aduro Bio Tech, Inc. According to a company press release, CRS-207 is based on an attenuated (made less potent) version of Listeria monocytogenes, bacteria found in soil and water than can cause the food borne illness, Listeriosis. To make CRS-207, scientists at Aduro genetically modified the Listeria monocytogenes in order to produce a powerful immune response against cells that produce mesothelin. Mesothelin is a tumor-associated antigen produced by several types of cancer cells, including mesothelioma cells. Because it works in conjunction with the body’s … Continue reading Mesothelioma Vaccine Enters Phase 2 Testing »

Mesothelioma Vaccine Jump Starts Immunity

Scientists studying a vaccine for mesothelioma have published some of their most important preliminary data in the respected medical journal Lung Cancer. Mesothelioma, a cancer of the organ linings caused by asbestos exposure, is highly resistant to conventional treatments.  Not only does it grow quickly, but its shape makes detection and removal difficult. Unlike some other types of solid tumors which may grow in a mass, mesothelioma tumors tend to spread out in a sheet-like formation across membranes. The UK scientists have been experimenting with a new method for targeting and destroying mesothelioma tumors, regardless of their shape. 5T4 is an antigen overexpressed by several kinds of cancer cells. The researchers tested for 5T4 in mesothelioma cells taken from 11 lab-grown cell … Continue reading Mesothelioma Vaccine Jump Starts Immunity »

Mesothelioma Vaccine Researched by UK Team

A team of Welsh researchers has begun studying a promising new immunotherapy treatment for mesothelioma. The researchers at Cardiff University and the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff have partnered with Oxford, England-based Oxford BioMedica to study the company’s immunotherapy cancer vaccine called TroVax. Like other immunotherapy treatments, TroVax works by harnessing the power of the patient’s own immune system. The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Zsuzsanna Tabi of Cardiff University, recently discovered that mesothelioma tumor cells, like many other cancer cells, express a protein called 5T4. TroVax works by stimulating a patient’s body to produce an anti-5T4 immune response which would theoretically then target any tumor cells carrying the 5T4 protein. Although TroVax has been shown to produce an immune response … Continue reading Mesothelioma Vaccine Researched by UK Team »

Mesothelioma Vaccine Delivers Cautious Optimism

woman mesothelioma doctor holds syringe

Mesothelioma patients and their families are cautiously optimistic about a new vaccine that may help fight the illness by harnessing the power of the patients’ own immune system. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos – a type of mineral fiber. These fibers can cause cellular changes that eventually turn cells cancerous. The new vaccine, which was tested in Holland and described in a recent issue of The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, is a form of immunotherapy, a new approach to combating cancer. In essence, researchers claim to have found a way to ‘teach’ certain immune system cells, known as dendritic cells, to recognize malignant mesothelioma cells as ‘enemies’ and launch an attack. In the study, … Continue reading Mesothelioma Vaccine Delivers Cautious Optimism »