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An Introduction to the Immune System and Vaccines
Published in Patricia G. Melloy, Viruses and Society, 2023
Some cancer vaccines are available, and many are being tested right now to treat such cancers as ovarian cancer, melanoma, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer. Scientists know that T cells can identify antigens from cancer cells and recognize the cancer as “nonself.” In addition, if a virus causes the cancer, the virus could be recognized and blocked before it could infect a person. For example, there is a vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV) and against hepatitis B virus (HBV). These vaccines can not only prevent infection, but also potentially prevent cancer caused by the virus. Other cancer vaccines are being tested for administration during a course of treatment, to slow disease progression or help other treatments work better (Bot, Berinstein, and Berinstein 2017; Plotkin and Plotkin 2017).
Rocket Science
Published in Norman Begg, The Remarkable Story of Vaccines, 2023
While vaccines continue to conquer infectious diseases, a whole new category of vaccines is in its infancy; therapeutic vaccines. Traditional vaccines work by preventing infectious diseases, whereas therapeutic vaccines are given to treat people who already have the disease. They work by stimulating your immune system to help you fight the disease. There are now a whole host of therapeutic vaccines at different stages of development. These vaccines don’t just target infectious diseases, they also have the potential to be used for a whole range of cancers. Therapeutic cancer vaccines contain cancer cells or cells from the immune system, which have either been taken from the person with the disease, or grown in a lab. To date there are only two approved cancer vaccines: one for prostate cancer, and one for bladder cancer (which actually uses the same components as BCG, the vaccine for tuberculosis). There are therapeutic vaccines now being developed for cancer of the cervix, breast, lung, pancreas and others. These custom-made, personalised vaccines will shape the future of cancer treatment, and have given medicine a new word: immunotherapy (also called immuno-oncology). Therapeutic vaccines for infectious diseases are being developed for those that become chronic, such as hepatitis B and HIV. Many of the therapeutic vaccines in development also rely on gene-based technology.
Applications of Antiviral Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapy
Published in Devarajan Thangadurai, Saher Islam, Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji, Viral and Antiviral Nanomaterials, 2022
Anusha Konatala, Sai Brahma Penugonda, Fain Parackel, Sudhakar Pola
Cancer immunotherapy has exploded in the past few decades. However, standalone cancer therapy or combination therapy have shown minimal efficacy. Unlike preventative vaccines, cancer vaccines affect cancer-causing cells by helping immune cells recognise tumour associated antigens present on cancer cells. Nanomaterials emulate cellular components in their biophysical and biochemical properties (Yang et al. 2016).
Emergence of mRNA vaccines in the management of cancer
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2023
Mohamad Irfan Mohamad Razif, Nabilah Nizar, Nur Hannah Zainal Abidin, Syasya Nasuha Muhammad Ali, Wan Nurul Najihah Wan Zarimi, Junaidi Khotib, Deny Susanti, Muhammad Taufiq Mohd Jailani, Muhammad Taher
There are two types of cancer vaccines, which are preventative vaccines and therapeutic vaccines. Vaccines that target viral infections linked to cancer formation were among the first developed to prevent malignancies effectively. The chance of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increased by the hepatitis B virus, a major cause of chronic liver disease. Meanwhile, as immunotherapeutic tools, therapeutic cancer vaccines are utilized to treat diseases that are already active. In cancer immunotherapy, only two therapeutic vaccines have received approval. These include Sipuleucel-T (Provenge), a dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccination for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer, and the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine indicated for early-stage bladder cancer [36]. An autologous cellular immunological drug, Provenge, works by enhancing T cells immunity against the target antigen prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) which is highly expressed in the majority of prostate cancer cells [37]. Leukapheresis is used to extract patient’s peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which are subsequently cultivated ex vivo using a fusion protein comprising PAP and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). After being reinfused three times at an interval of roughly 2 weeks, the product, which comprises activated APCs, induces T cells activation and proliferation as well as antigen-specific reactivity against PAP [38].
Development of neoantigens: from identification in cancer cells to application in cancer vaccines
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2022
Nasim Ebrahimi, Maryam Akbari, Masoud Ghanaatian, Parichehr Roozbahani moghaddam, Samaneh Adelian, Marziyeh Borjian Boroujeni, Elnaz Yazdani, Amirhossein Ahmadi, Michael R. Hamblin
Targeting cancer cells without damaging normal cells is one of the main goals of researchers in the treatment of various types of cancer. Anti-cancer vaccines have emerged as therapeutic approaches to allow the immune system to specifically recognize and destroy cancer cells. Neoantigens, which are specifically expressed in cancer cells, mark these cells for destruction by the immune system. However, neoantigens that are spontaneously presented by cancer cells have several limitations. For example, although neoantigens are expressed in cancer cells, their degree of immunogenicity is insufficient. For this reason, the design of neoantigens with higher immunogenicity as well as more specific expression can mask the disadvantages of natural neoantigens. The pairing of next generation sequencing technology with advanced bioinformatics approaches has paved the way for the identification and design of cancer neoantigens. Despite many advances in bioinformatics, there is still the possibility of errors in neoantigen sequencing and structure prediction.
Cancer vaccines as a targeted immunotherapy approach for breast cancer: an update of clinical evidence
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2022
Maryam Abbaspour, Vajihe Akbari
Although the success of cancer immunotherapy has been limited to date, it is hoped that by identifying the genome of BC antigens, typing the molecular BC, and using targeted therapies that activate a specific BC immune and inhibit immune tolerance hoped to improve the specific vaccine response in the future. Cancer vaccines are highly dependent on the individual’s immune system. Generation a desirable response requires finding the right dose, patients’ selection, finding the right pathway for antigen delivery, response evaluation, and improving methods for providing antigen presentation and cytokines. Thus an effective approach to improve the clinical outcome of BC involves further investigations on immunotherapy and a better understanding of the complex interaction in response to host immunity, cancer cells, and the tumor microenvironment.