Experimental mRNA Vaccine Shows Promise in Improving Effects of Immunotherapy on Tumors

New research from the University of Florida showed that “an experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study.”

This represents a possible next step in the goal of “developing a universal vaccine to ‘wake up’ the immune system against cancer.” This study showed that pairing the test vaccine with “common anticancer drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors triggered a strong antitumor response.” Researchers were surprised that the result was achieved “not by attacking a specific target protein expressed in the tumor, but by simply revving up the immune system – spurring it to respond as if fighting a virus.” They did this by “stimulating the expression of a protein called PD-L1 inside of tumors, making them more receptive to treatment.”

Elias Sayour, the study’s senior author, said that these results “reveal a potential new treatment path – an alternative to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.” They also suggest a viable cancer vaccine development path: stimulating a strong immunologic response to elicit a “very strong anticancer reaction.”

This new study builds upon a breakthrough Sayour made last year, where “an mRNA vaccine quickly reprogrammed the immune system to attack glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor with a dismal prognosis.” Following up that breakthrough, this new study showed “promising results in normally treatment-resistant tumors when combining the mRNA formulation with a common immunotherapy drug called a PD-1 inhibitor.” The results “show potential for a universal cancer vaccine that could activate the immune system and prime it to work in tandem with checkpoint inhibitor drugs to seize upon cancer.”