ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic has received investigational new drug approval (
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/InvestigationalNewDrugINDorDeviceExemptionIDEProcess/default.htm) from the Food and Drug Administration (
http://www.fda.gov/)
for two new cancer vaccines that mobilize the body's defense mechanisms
to destroy malignant cells. The vaccines are among the first aimed at
preventing cancer recurrence. The approval clears the way for Phase I
clinical trials with women treated for ovarian or breast cancer.
VIDEO ALERT: Additional audio and video resources, including
comments by Dr. Keith Knutson are available at the Mayo Clinic News Blog
(
http://dev.newsblog.mayoclinic.org/2011/08/17/mayo-clinic-studies-cancer-vaccines/).
"People who've had cancer are at high risk for relapse, and later
rounds of treatment can become more difficult," says Mayo Clinic
immunologist Keith Knutson, Ph.D., (
http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/mayo/research/staff/Knutson_KL.cfm)
who developed the vaccines with colleagues at Mayo Clinic. While most
cancer vaccines to date have been developed to fight patients' tumors,
Knutson's group is interested in immunizing patients immediately after
therapy, when they're healthy, to protect against relapse.
One new vaccine targets a protein that exists in abundance in breast
and ovarian cancer cells. Containing fragments of the folate receptor
alpha protein, the vaccine teaches the body's immune system to detect
and eliminate diseased cells. Because the protein is typical of nearly
all breast and ovarian tumors, the vaccine is the first that may be
applicable to the majority of patients, instead of sub-populations with
distinct types of cancer.
"I'm quite optimistic that if we can combine early detection,
effective conventional therapies and vaccination, we can reduce
recurrence and long-term morbidity associated with breast and ovarian
cancer," Knutson says. Ultimately, the vaccine may be useful as a
preventive strategy for all women.
The
second vaccine to receive FDA approval is designed to be
administered after breast cancer patients receive conventional
chemotherapy. It targets the highly aggressive Her2/neu molecule, a
protein that promotes the growth of cancer cells.
"One of the greatest fears for women who've been treated for breast
cancer is that the cancer will return," Knutson says. "Our hope is that
the vaccine will boost the cancer-fighting capabilities of the immune
system and will be a leg up on this aggressive cancer after conventional
treatment is complete."
