Cancer Vaccine That Mimics Lymph Node

SubComdTaco writes "Harvard has announced their approach towards an implantable cancer vaccine (press release here). To anyone familiar with how the immune system works, this appears to be a synthetic lymph node, an intriguing bit of biomimicry. From the Science Daily article: 'A cancer vaccine carried into the body on a carefully engineered, fingernail-sized implant is the first to successfully eliminate tumors in mammals, scientists recently reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The new approach, pioneered by bioengineers and immunologists at Harvard University, uses plastic disks impregnated with tumor-specific antigens and implanted under the skin to reprogram the mammalian immune system to attack tumors. The new paper describes the use of such implants to eradicate melanoma tumors in mice. ... The slender implants... are 8.5 millimeters in diameter and made of an FDA-approved biodegradable polymer. Ninety percent air, the disks are highly permeable to immune cells and release cytokines, powerful recruiters of immune-system messengers called dendritic cells. These cells enter an implant's pores, where they are exposed to antigens specific to the type of tumor being targeted. The dendritic cells then report to nearby lymph nodes, where they direct the immune system's T cells to hunt down and kill tumor cells.'"

Re:interesting

[larry bagina]

The immune system does attack HIV, and that's kind of the problem. HIV infects T4 lymphocytes, which get killed off by the rest of the immune system, which then allows opportunistic infections to cause problems (and death).

Re:Really cool...

[Anonymous Coward]

Most cancer treatments actually increase your chances of other cancers. (Chemo/radiation).

Pretty much the only treatment that isn't known to increase the risk for secondary cancers is surgery and that is usually followed by frequent x-rays or CT scans (which are known to increase chances of secondary cancers)

Re:8.5 millimeters ..

[zullnero]

Well, those who know, shoot for Score:5, Informative. Those who don't, shoot for Score:5, Funny. Guess which one I'm shooting for with THIS reply?

Re:Not a immunologist

[Ruhlandpedia]

Not really a problem, the antigens are significantly different and we already use them to diagnose the cancer in the first place. If there was any autoimmune response the implant could be removed and the antibodies would filter out of the body.

Human clinical trials

[alexo]

Making the immune system attack (only) the cancerous cells seems to be a popular research subject these days.

Another company called Immunovative is taking a slightly different approach which does not require an implant.
They are currently running human clinical trials in Israel and California. More information here [immunocare.net].

Disclaimer: A close friend of mine is participating in the clinical trial in Carlsbad.