Hopes for cancer vaccine after trials in mice showed it reduced tumours 80 per cent of the time
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Hopes raised in cervical cancer vaccine after mouse trials showed it shrank tumors 80 percent of the time
- Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Sao Paulo tested vaccines
- 80% of mice tested with three vaccines showed complete tumor regression
Scientists are one step closer to developing a vaccine for cervical cancer after trials in mice showed it shrank tumors 80 percent of the time.
The researchers tested a trio of mRNA vaccines, the base of which formed the Covid jab, on tumors caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Although HPV does not cause problems for most people, it can increase the risk of some types of cancer, such as cervical cancer.
The three vaccines were individually tested in mice with HPV tumors, and analysis of the results published in the journal Science Translational Medicine found that each vaccine could shrink tumors with a single dose.
The investigators reported complete tumor regression in 80% of the test mice.
“Even single low doses of the vaccines elicited strong immune responses and led to complete tumor regression in 80 percent of the mice at advanced stages,” said the team from the Universities of Pennsylvania and São Paulo.
A vaccine already given to young people can protect against HPV and prevent cancers caused by it, but it doesn’t treat people with tumors.
The findings were presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Washington.
More clinical trials will be needed, the team explained.