Immunotherapy

Scientists have made a breakthrough towards an off-the-shelf treatment for immunotherapy against cancer. A synthetic protein tweak can allow immune cells from any donor to be given to any patient without the risk of a dangerous immune reaction.

Metastatic breast cancer is stubbornly resistant to current immunotherapies. But scientists have identified a dual-therapy attack to really fire up the immune system's cells, killing existing tumors and acting like a vaccine against future ones.

Scientists have developed a new type of cancer vaccine that shows promise in clearing out leukemia in mice. The technique involves reprogramming cancer cells into immune cells so that they can teach the immune system how to fight off the disease.

A trial has tested whether introducing small quantities of boiled peanuts to a child's diet can treat allergies. After the year-long treatment, 80% of children could tolerate peanuts but the researchers caution the therapy is still experimental.

Scientists have found a way to fight cancer with cancer, by genetically engineering cancer cells to release drugs at established tumor sites and stimulating the immune system. Tests in mice showed promise as both a therapy and preventative vaccine.

A combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy has shown promise against stage IV melanoma in a new clinical trial. The chemo drug targets a type of cell that suppresses the immune response, and together the two showed an increased response rate.

The first results from a trial testing mRNA technology against cancer reveal 44% of patients fared better than those on conventional treatments. The announcement from Moderna reveals Phase 3 trials for its mRNA skin cancer vaccine will commence next year.

Data from a Phase 1/2 trial has revealed an experimental immunotherapy led to successful response rates in 73% of patients suffering multiple myeloma, a deadly form of blood cancer. An application to the FDA has been filed to bring the drug to market.

Immunotherapy is a promising cancer treatment, but getting it to work against solid tumors is difficult. A new study has not only identified a drug that’s effective against solid tumors, but may have uncovered a reason that immunotherapy often fails.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so they say. Scientists have now demonstrated a new potential cancer vaccine that involves injections of dormant tumor cells to stimulate the immune system and help prevent the onset of cancer.

Researchers have demonstrated a new technique to fight cancer by attaching immunotherapy drugs to a molecule that seeks out the acidic environment of cancer cells. In tests in mice, a single dose was enough to eradicate even advanced tumors.

Scientists have genetically modified a strain of the herpes virus to act as a cancer-killing agent in humans. Findings from an initial human trial are encouraging, with the experimental treatment proving safe and promisingly effective.