Exciting News: Special FDA Designation for Mesothelioma Vaccine
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Exciting News: Special FDA Designation for Mesothelioma Vaccine

ByHolly Zink

A company called Ultimovacs has achieved something big in the world of cancer treatment. They received a special title from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their vaccine called UV1. This vaccine is meant to help people with mesothelioma, which is a rare and tough-to-treat cancer. Understanding UV1 and Its Goal UV1 is not like regular vaccines that protect you from diseases. Instead, it’s a vaccine that tries to make your immune system fight cancer. It targets an enzyme in cancer cells called telomerase (hTERT), which is important in mesothelioma. This cancer is known for growing in the lining around your lungs due to asbestos exposure. The UV1 vaccine is made of three special hTERT parts, chosen based…

Could an Inhaled Vaccine Help Prevent Mesothelioma?
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Could an Inhaled Vaccine Help Prevent Mesothelioma?

ByAlex Strauss

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…

Mesothelioma Vaccine Receives Orphan Drug Approval
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Mesothelioma Vaccine Receives Orphan Drug Approval

ByAlex Strauss

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…

Mesothelioma Vaccine Enters Phase 2 Testing
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Mesothelioma Vaccine Enters Phase 2 Testing

ByAlex Strauss

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…

Mesothelioma Vaccine Jump Starts Immunity
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Mesothelioma Vaccine Jump Starts Immunity

ByAlex Strauss

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…