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A vaccine that could “dramatically” improve the treatment of several types of cancer is being given to patients for the first time.
The potentially game-changing jab is being trialled on Brits with prostate, lung and ovarian cancer.
Together they cause 51,000 deaths in the UK every year - almost a third of all cancer deaths.
Although we typically think of vaccines to prevent disease, the term can also be applied to drugs that harness the power of the immune system to treat them.
This new vaccine instructs the immune system to attack a protein that normally protects cancer cells from damage.
The potentially game-changing jab is being trialled on Brits with prostate, lung and ovarian cancer. A file photo is used above
Our immune system constantly destroys small cancers as they develop. However, cancer cells have a variety of strategies to evade attack, allowing the disease to grow and spread. This involves making a protein called survivin.
It is found in large quantities on the cell surface of many types of cancer and helps the cancer hide from the immune system.
Exactly how it does this is not clear. One theory is that because it is also found on some healthy cells, albeit in much smaller quantities, the immune system does not recognize that the cancer cells are dangerous and therefore does not attack them.
The new vaccine, developed by Oxford Vacmedix, a spin-out company from the University of Oxford, contains a synthetic form of survivin designed to stimulate a stronger immune system response. The hope is that this will destroy the cancer cells.
The jab, known as OVM-200, is being tested on humans for the first time, in a study of up to 35 cancer patients at University College Hospital in London and four other centers in the UK.
Participants will receive three doses of the vaccine two weeks apart and will be monitored for changes in their cancer and side effects for six months.
The study focuses on three types of cancer, although it is hoped the vaccine will be effective against multiple types of cancer.
The jab, known as OVM-200, is being tested on humans for the first time, in a study of up to 35 cancer patients at University College Hospital in London and four other centers in the UK. Health Minister Sajid Javid visits the hospital on World Cancer Day in February
Dr. Martin Forster, consultant in medical oncology at the UCL Cancer Institute and principal investigator of the study, said: “Survivin is highly expressed in many types of cancer, making it an excellent target for therapies such as this novel vaccine.
"This exciting treatment developed in the UK brings new vaccine technology into clinical trials and has the potential to dramatically change outcomes for our patients. There is a huge unmet need and these are exciting times."
Commenting on the study, Professor Raj Persad, consultant urologist at Bristol Urology Associates, said: "New targeted treatments such as these promise to be much more specific and less toxic in their side effects, simply by boosting the body's immune system."
But he adds that research into long-term side effects and the treatment's impact on patient survival is "important before we get too excited."
“However, based on initial studies, this approach looks very encouraging,” he adds.
Clothing calls
How your clothes can affect your health. This week: Wearing red could encourage mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we breathe out, and now research by scientists at the University of Washington in the US suggests the insects are more likely to head towards people if they're also wearing red, orange or pink.
“These are the dominant colors reflected in our skin,” said Jeff Riffell, professor of biology and lead author of the study, published in the journal Nature Communications.
"Interestingly, the mosquitoes were also more attracted to shades of green-blue - possibly because both male and female mosquitoes feed on sugars such as the nectar of a flower. Many flowers and nectar sources occur on the green-blue wavelength," explains Professor Riffell.
He says that therefore the best colors to wear to avoid attracting mosquitoes are white or purple.
Did you know?
Pasta has a smaller impact on blood sugar levels than carbohydrates like couscous or bread, reports the Journal of Nutrition. Scientists at the Technical Research Center of Finland asked 26 adults to chew 50g of semolina-based pasta to find out how many chews were required before swallowing. The further digestion process was simulated in the laboratory. The team found that pasta required more chewing, broke down into larger particles, and was less easily digested—possibly due to the way starch forms as the pasta dries—leading to fewer blood sugar spikes.