UK researchers say vaccine fights cancerous cells

In the clinical trial researchers at the University of Nottingham observed that when the vaccines were administered before and after surgery to remove cancerous tumors, they helped stimulated immune cell production in up to 70% of patients.

“This is the first vaccine shown to stimulate TNF-alpha an immune-system protein that is very effective at killing cancer cells,” said Lindy Durrant, professor of cancer immunotherapy at the university.

The vaccine works by stimulating the patients' immune response to generate infection-fighting white blood cells called T cells, which in turn produce immune system proteins called cytokines that destroy cancer cells. The antibody contained in the vaccine, called 105AD7, was cloned from a patient who survived seven years with liver metastases from colorectal cancer, Durrant explained.

“This is very unusual as most patients die within one year of getting liver metastases,” she said. “I thought if this antibody had helped this patient, if we could clone it, it might help others.”

Laboratory tests of blood samples indicated that a T-cell response against the vaccine was recorded in the majority of patients.

Nineteen of the patients died during the follow-up period. Researchers noted that the trial was not designed to study the effect of the vaccines on survival.