Stem Cell Vaccine Carries Potential as Mesothelioma Treatment

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine believe a patient-specific stem cell vaccine could become part of mesothelioma treatment — and possibly prevention — in the future. The belief stems from their recent study that demonstrated a consistent immunologic response with genetically-altered stem cells in laboratory mice carrying particular cancer cells. “This could potentially play a role for a large group of — if not all — cancers,” Dr. Joseph Wu, director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, told Asbestos.com. “We envision it potentially being used as a vaccine or adjuvant treatment for mesothelioma.” The study involved induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS), which are cells taken from the blood or skin and genetically reprogramed. This allows the cells to attack or prevent cancerous tumors when mixed with a generic immune-stimulating agent. Vaccine Shows Anti-Tumor Response The study tested mice infected separately with breast cancer, melanoma and mesothelioma cells. The anti-tumor response rate was similar in all three types of cancer. “This is significant for future cancer therapies, that we now have a surrogate cell that can provide the immune system with a large amount of cancer-related antigens,” Wu said. “Based on preliminary studies, the effectiveness of our vaccine is not limited to one cancer.” IPS cells typically are used in regenerative medicine, often to repair damage from trauma or disease. This latest study explored ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news