Shots - Health News Mouse Study Sheds Light On Why Some Cancer
Vaccines Fail Originally published on Mon March 4, 2013 2:31 pm
In the quest for better cancer medicines, vaccines that treat
rather than prevent disease are getting lots of attention. More
than 90 clinical trials have tested therapeutic vaccines in
cancer patients, but the results have been a mixed bag. A recent
study in mice suggests that changing a traditional ingredient in
the vaccines could make a big difference. A typical therapeutic
vaccine against cancer contains a cancer-specific peptide, or
protein fragment, that is injected under a patient's skin. The
peptide serves as a red flag for the immune system. If all goes
well, the patient's immune system recognizes the peptide as
something to be attacked and boosts the population of cancer-
fighting T-cells in the bloodstream. For such vaccines to work
against the cancers, though, these cells have to find their way
to tumors. This migration might not be happening as expected in
traditional huma