Duke scientists find possible cancer vaccine
(U-WIRE) DURHAM, N.C. — Over the past five years, Dr. Johannes Vieweg and fellow immunotherapy researchers at Duke University have witnessed a fledgling prostate cancer vaccine become a clinical trial with recent, very positive patient responses: Vaccine acceptance and a decrease in tumor growth rate.

Thirteen patients in the advanced stages of prostate cancer have been involved in the trial over the past year. The patients are injected with a certain type of cell — known as dendritic cells — from their own bodies in an attempt to combat the cancer. These cells first are cultured for seven days outside the patient's body and at the same time recoded with the patient's RNA to provide genetic information about the tumor cells.

Once the dendritic cells are reintroduced into the patient's body, they stimulate an increase in the patient's T-cells, or "killer" cells, which then target and destroy the tumor.

"(The prostate cancer vaccine) is a very specific approach vs. traditional cancer treatment methods, such as chemotherapy," said Vieweg, assistant professor of urology at the Medical Center and lead author of the study.

A particularly positive result of this approach is the vaccine does not have serious side effects, in contrast to the often severe side effects of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and other current treatments take a shotgun approach; although many cancer cells are eradicated from the body, many healthy cells also are destroyed in the process, due to debilitating radiation or medicine.

The Phase 1 clinical trial judged the patients' physical responses to the cells' injection, which proved positive. The patients' cells come from their own bodies, so there is no risk their bodies will reject them and induce severe side effects.

– The Chronicle

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