Two decades of scientific research on the subject seem to be beginning to pay off. Cleveland Clinic physicians announced the start of clinical trials in humans with a vaccine that they hope will help prevent even the most aggressive and deadly forms of breast cancer.
The vaccine currently being tested is the product of twenty years of research, says the clinic itself in a report on the matter. The studies were financed mainly through donations from 20,000 people.
The vaccine is tested in patients who have already suffered the effects of triple negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and lethal forms of the disease. In these people the possible preventive capacity of the vaccine will be tested. If successful, the trial phase could eventually lead to effective preventive therapy against breast cancer, even for healthy people.
A long way
“This initial phase is the first step in a long journey that, we hope, will result in a vaccine capable of preventing at least some forms of breast cancer,” says oncologist Thomas Budd, the project’s principal investigator. “In the long term, our goal is to determine if this vaccine is capable of fighting breast cancer – especially in its more aggressive variants – before it occurs.”
The vaccine targets the α-lactalbumin protein, which is highly present in a woman’s body during lactation. Various studies have determined that between 70 percent and 80 percent of patients with triple negative breast cancer have an excess of the aforementioned protein.
In addition to evaluating α-lactalbumin production, the experimental vaccine elicits an immune response to prevent tumor growth.
Dosage and effects
“We’re starting with people who have already suffered from the disease,” Budd clarifies. “We wanted to launch the trials with patients who will have a concrete benefit for their health. Once we determine the appropriate dose and the possible side effects, we want to continue with patients who have a genetic risk of contracting triple negative breast cancer.”
This testing phase is expected to end in September 2022.
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