The future of cancer treatment lies in highly individualized, targeted therapies. One emerging innovation that shows great promise is therapeutic cancer vaccines (TCVs), or personalized cancer vaccines. This new development is one part of a growing wave of new treatments that are eschewing a one-size-fits-all methodology for more individualized cancer solutions. This allows oncology teams to harness the power of individualized immunotherapy for cancer.
Personalized Cancer Vaccines: A New Era in Oncology
TCVs are tailored cancer vaccines designed to target mutations in a single patient’s tumor cells. They “train” the immune system to identify and attack specific cancer cells, much like traditional vaccines train the body to ward off diseases.
Even if two people have exactly the same type of cancer, the cancer vaccine they receive would be different because their genetic makeup is different.
The Science Behind Personalized Cancer Vaccines: How They Are Made
To create a cancer immunotherapy vaccine, genetic sequencing of a patient’s cancerous and healthy cells must be performed. Comparing cancerous cells to healthy cells helps the vaccine developer identify the mutations present in the cancer cells.
These mutations, called neoantigens, are used to create a completely custom vaccine for cancer that targets that individual’s cancer cells. It contains neoantigens, and when administered helps the immune system to hone- in on these abnormal cells. Different delivery methods are being actively researched, but messenger RNA (mRNA) cancer vaccines that use lipid nanoparticle technology to help preserve and protect the genetic material appear to be the most promising.
No two TCVs are the same, because the genetic sequence of each individual (and their cancers) is distinct. This highly personalized therapy can’t be mass-produced like a traditional vaccine. This makes it extremely promising for targeted cancer treatment, but also difficult to implement on a large scale.
The Benefits and Challenges of Tailored Cancer Immunotherapy
TCVs and personalized immunotherapy treatments offer a number of advantages over traditional cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation.
First, they don’t have the same side effects as these aggressive treatments. Chemotherapy and radiation lack the specificity to target cancer cells and instead affect both cancerous and healthy cells, causing severe and sometimes debilitating side effects. TCVs can specifically target cancer cells while sparing healthy cells.
Personalized immunotherapy cancer vaccines may also provide long-term protection against cancer. Because they train the body’s innate immune system to attack these cells, they may help prevent future cancer recurrences.
Additionally, as cancer cells change or mutate, personalized cancer vaccines can be updated using the new genetic information
However, there are also several challenges to the widespread adoption of individualized cancer vaccines.
First, research on these vaccines, while promising, is still in its early stages. It may be several years before these vaccines become a realistic option for most people with cancer, and that is only if scientists are able to verify the short-term and long-term effectiveness and safety of this therapy.
Next, TCVs are costly and time-consuming to implement. They require advanced genetic analysis tools, and the process of developing each individual vaccine takes more time and money than mass-produced treatments.
Finally, individualized cancer vaccines may not be effective against all types of cancer. As more research is conducted, experts are learning which cancer patients are most likely to benefit from this therapy. Some cancers may not respond well to this treatment.
Clinical Breakthroughs: Personalized Cancer Vaccines in Action
Many clinical trials on cancer vaccines are currently in progress. Research teams at prestigious university medical centers such as UCLA Health, Johns Hopkins, and Yale all have active clinical trials on TCVs.
These various clinical trials are investigating the use of TCVs for a wide variety of cancers, including:
- Liver cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Pediatric brain cancer
- Melanoma
- Non-small-cell lung cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Mesothelioma
What’s Next? The Future of Personalized Cancer Vaccines
Cancer researchers are also busy looking for ways to help streamline customized immunotherapy vaccine production, including utilizing AI tools for genetic sequencing and vaccine development.
Researchers are also considering how to best incorporate TCVs alongside existing therapeutic options, to provide effective multi-pronged treatment. Immunotherapy for cancer side effects also shows incredible potential to help with some of the complications associated with other cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.
Key Takeaways
Immunogenomics in personalized cancer treatments is a massive paradigm shift in oncology. The custom immunotherapy approach acknowledges that each cancer case is unique and therefore requires a unique treatment.
While personalized cancer vaccine research is still in relatively early stages, the potential for this therapy to transform cancer treatment is immense. TCVs signal a future where cancer treatment is not just personalized, but precisely targeted to each patient’s specific disease profile.
As advancements and research continue, the hope is that personal cancer vaccines become a standard part of cancer treatment — offering a more effective therapy that also helps preserve each patient’s quality of life.