Universal cancer vaccine being developed

LONDON, August 30 (SPIS MedWire). A universal vaccine for all cancers is being developed, according to a report in Nature Medicine. The vaccine targets the enzyme telomerase, which is present in most cancers; inhibition of telomerase means that the cells are unable to divide and therefore die. Professor Eli Gilboa, from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, New Carolina, commented, "The thinking has been that because every cancer is different … each cancer has its own specific set of antigens that must be used for a vaccine. We're looking for a universal antigen - one antigen to try to treat every cancer patient." The team modified cells to carry part of the telomerase protein, which activated the immune system to attack cancer cells that produced telomerase. Laboratory experiments showed the vaccine was capable of slowing the growth of skin, breast and bladder cancers when implanted into mice,...