The era of breast cancer vaccine is coming, clinical cure can be expected in the future

In the face of the epidemic, vaccines may be the ultimate weapon in this disaster
.
So when tumor cells encounter a vaccine, what kind of sparks will they collide with? Today, the editor will take stock of the gynecological tumors with a high incidence- breast cancer , and what related vaccine developments have recently been made

1.
PLGA particle vaccine Riboxxim-tumor cure rate increased from 20% to 75%

Recently, a paper published in the journal Nature Communications found that a new PLGA particle vaccine can work synergistically with immunotherapy to increase the tumor cure rate from 20% to 75%.
Let’s take a look
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Dendritic cells (DC cells) are the most powerful antigen-presenting cells (APC), which can efficiently ingest, process, and present antigens.
This is also the key to re-awakening the immune system
.

Therefore, the researchers designed a new anti-cancer vaccine targeting DC cells with degradable particles.
The vaccine has a diameter of 1 micron and uses polylactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer (PLGA) microparticles that have been approved for use in humans.
Nanoparticles, encapsulating tumor proteins and GMP-level immune system promoter Riboxxim
.

The particle size distribution and morphology of the vaccine (source: reference 1)

In mice, a single dose of vaccine can induce DC cell maturation to enhance tumor antigen presentation, and promote the further proliferation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells, prolonging the immune response to the 8th week
.
However, despite the strong immune response, this vaccine has good safety and did not trigger a serum cytokine response and histological changes or damage to major organs.

Duration of CD8+ T cell proliferation induced by anti-cancer vaccine (red) (Source: Reference 1)

In addition, studies have also shown that if this clinically applicable cancer vaccine is used in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, the cure rate of tumor mice can be increased to 75%, and long-term protection against tumor recurrence will be achieved.
Will have a profound impact on the immunotherapy of certain cancers
.

2.
GP2 vaccine achieved no recurrence in 5 years, and breast cancer ushered in a new dawn of cure

GP2 is a transmembrane peptide containing 9 amino acids, derived from the HER2/neu protein
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HER2/neu is a cell surface receptor protein that is expressed in 75% of breast cancers and other common cancers

The following five-year recurrence rate of breast cancer patients is zero, which can be called a clinical cure drug KM curve, which reflects the strength of the GP2 vaccine:

(Survival curve of breast cancer patients, source: reference 2)

We can intuitively see that the disease-free survival rate (DFS) of the HER2+ breast cancer patients in the cancer vaccine GP2 group in the picture is a perfect straight line, DFS has reached 100%, and the recurrence rate is 0%
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In other words, during the 5-year follow-up of the trial, not only did the patients have a 5-year disease-free survival period, but without exception, none of them relapsed

For breast cancer patients, the therapeutic effect achieved by GP2 is the ultimate goal of all drugs
.

       In the clinical trials of the GP2 tumor vaccine, the researchers enrolled a total of 168 patients, who were randomly divided into two groups receiving GP2+GM-CSF (an immune adjuvant) and GM-CSF alone
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Among them, 96 patients were HER2 positive

       After a 5-year follow-up, 46 breast cancer patients treated with GP2+GM-CSF had a 5-year DFS of 100%, which is the dream-free disease-free survival rate line mentioned above
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The 5-year DFS of 50 placebo patients treated with GM-CSF was 89.

       We can intuitively see that after the first year, patients in the placebo group started to progress, while the GP2 group was still in a straight line at the 5th year or even later
.
In other words, HER2+ breast cancer patients in the GP2 group are likely to be "cured" in this way

       3.
Breast cancer preventive vaccine-α-lactalbumin vaccine

       Alpha-lactalbumin is a breast cancer-specific differentiation protein.
It is only expressed in the breasts of healthy women during the third trimester of pregnancy or during lactation.
After lactation, it quietly leaves until breast cancer appears again
.
Therefore, scientists doubt whether α-lactalbumin is a precursor to breast cancer

       In response, they conducted related experiments, and the results showed that: since α-lactalbumin is only conditionally expressed during lactation, the vaccine induces and prevents any detectable inflammation in normal non-lactating breast tissues
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Therefore, α-lactalbumin can be used as an ideal target to design vaccines for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer
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       Alpha-lactalbumin vaccination can provide a safe and effective opportunity for women to prevent the development of breast cancer during the period after childbirth and before menopause
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       On December 21, 2020, the FDA has approved this vaccine to enter human trials.
This breast cancer vaccine technology was invented and developed by the Cleveland Clinic immunologist Dr.
Vincent Tuohy and his research team
.
This technology can be used to immunize women's mammary glands during late pregnancy and lactation
.
Researchers predict that cancer cells in the body of women who have been vaccinated will be destroyed by the immune system, thereby preventing the occurrence of cancer
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       The initial focus of this trial was triple-negative breast cancer, but the technology is expected to potentially prevent other types of breast cancer, and even has a certain effect on the prevention of ovarian cancer
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       The reason why mankind hopes that vaccines can prevent and conquer various diseases, including cancer, is because vaccines can work through similar mechanisms, whether they are used to prevent infectious diseases or prevent and treat cancer: they teach the immune system to prevent and treat cancer.
Infectious pathogens or cancer cells are recognized as foreign substances that need to be eliminated
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There are special proteins on the surface of cancer cells.
By targeting these proteins, the immune system can specifically eliminate cancer cells without harming normal cells
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In addition, the vaccine can prevent cancer from recurring and remove cancer cells that remain after treatment
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In addition to the breast cancer vaccine mentioned above , in the past 30 years, cancer vaccines have been extensively studied in animal models and humans, involving many different types of cancer
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The clinical cure of tumors can be expected in the future
.

       Reference source:

       1.
PLGA-particle vaccine carrying TLR3/RIG-I ligand riboxxim synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade for effective anti-cancer immunotherapy.

       2.
https:// html.

       3.
Jaini, R; Kesaraju, P; Johnson, JM; et al.
An autoimmune-mediated strategy for prophylactic breast cancer vaccination.
[J].
Nat Med.
2010,16(7):799-803.