Early this week, the Cleveland Clinic announced the launch of its breast cancer vaccine developed to produce negative results.
A ScienceAlert report specified that the said launch is highlighting a first-of-its-kind human trial testing, a jab designed for the prevention of triple-negative breast cancer, which at present, does not favorably respond to hormone or targeted drug treatments and can only be stopped with mastectomy.
To date, developments in triple-negative breast cancer vaccines have been limited to the work at the laboratory in animal research.
The human trial can start already, now that the United States Food and Drug Administration authorized an investigational new drug application for the vaccine.
The 'α-lactalbumin Protein
While the said trial will only comprise early-stage triple-negative breast cancer survivors known to be at high risk for recurrence, the researchers are hoping to next take the vaccine to healthy individuals at high risk for the illness, like those who have BRCA1 gene mutations, as explained in a Business Insider report.
As stated in a press release posted on Cleveland Clinic's Newsroom, the study's principal investigator Dr. G. Thomas Budd, from the Taussig Cancer Institute of Cleveland Clinic, in the long run, is hoping that "this can be a true preventive vaccine that would be given to healthy women" to stop them from developing triple-negative cancer, the breast cancer form for which there are at least effective treatments.
Essentially, tripe-negative breast cancer is responsible for 12 to 15 percent of all breast cancers. It also kills almost 25 percent of patients within five years of diagnosis. In addition, it is also more typical among African-American women and those who have BRCA1 mutations.
The existence of a certain protein called α-lactalbumin, typically goes with the disease, even though it is only supposed to occur when an individual is lactating.
The breast cancer vaccine will then target α-lactalbumin, prompting the immune system to ward off emerging breast tumors that express it.
Moreover, the shot will include a drug that alerts the immune system to α-lactalbumin sp that can stop the emerging growth of a tumor.
Patient in the Study to Receive 3 Shots
The trial will have 18 to 24 participating patients who are tumor-free following treatment for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer within the last three years.
Each of the patients will be given three shots, with each dose having a two-week interval. The study authors will begin with low doses in just a few patients who had had them closely monitored before increasing the dose and adding more participants.
Budd explained to Cleveland Clinic, once they've figured out how much of the vaccine can be given, they'll look at its impacts on the immune system.
Vaccine Scheme
This way, he added, they will be able to know if the vaccine is doing what it is supposed to do, and then, they will increase each of the dose levels.
The estimated completion of the study is in September 2022. It is financially backed by the US Department of Defense. Tuohy added this vaccine scheme has the potential to be used for other types of tumors.
He added that this translational study program focuses on developing vaccines that stop diseases confronted with age, such as ovarian, endometrial, and breast cancers.
If the vaccine trial succeeds, such vaccines have the potential to transform the manner adult-onset cancers are controlled and improve life expectancy in a way similar to the effect that the childhood vaccination program has had.
Report about the breast cancer vaccine is shown on Cleveland Clinic's YouTube video below:
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