3 ms·

What is the news here? Also what's the difference between this and Moderna's personalised cancer vaccine?

smrk007 5y ago
My thoughts exactly. According to the Moderna pipeline [0], they're already on phase II trials for their cancer vaccine, which to me seems much more exciting than a proof-of-concept if that's what this is. [0]: https://www.modernatx.com/pipeline https://www.modernatx.com/pipeline
- f6v 5y ago
  And that’s why reproducibility studies aren’t a thing. People say “yeah that’s old news!” We need to fund independent validation. Especially knowing that private companies could massage the data to get to market.
ziddoap 5y ago
I think the news is the fact that a non-profit, non-affiliated (w/ Moderna) organization has additional supporting evidence for mRNA therapy for cancer patients who weren't responding to treatment otherwise. Not every piece of news needs to shake the world to the core.
laura2013 5y ago
it could be that this is public research vs private? It's quite exciting to see this scientific discovery having such widespread use, don't you agree? The research is around the [NKG7 protein][1], not sure what Moderna targets. [1]: https://cancerimmunolres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2021/12/10/2326-6066.CIR-21-0539.full-text.pdf https://cancerimmunolres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2021...
- xiphias2 5y ago
  Sure the more therapeutics use modern platforms, the better it is for humanity, I just wish these articles were written more similar to how a human would want me to understand the differences between approaches instead of trying to make a PR article. It's a bug deal that they found out about the importance of the NKG7 gene, but the whole article doesn't have a reference to it. Moderna's personal vaccine is different, as it sequences the cancer itself as far as I know.
onychomys 5y ago
This is a treatment, not a vaccine, so it's something you use after you get cancer instead of something you take to prevent you from getting it.
- adamredwoods 5y ago
  Correct it is to help T-cells identify existing cancer cells, because current immunotherapy isn't all that great (cancer cells are tricky!). >> Next, the researchers employed new sequencing technology that makes a mRNA-based change of primary immune cells possible. They identified the target gene in single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets. Then they performed a functional test to validate the role of the target gene in enhanced immune cell-mediated killing of tumor cells. This is important because cancer cells have different properties that enable it to sneak past T-cells. So they are trying to identify specific characteristics to tumor cells that enable them to make mRNA that then is used to shape T-cell behavior. These vaccines can also be used (hopefully) to prevent metastasis, which is the true killer behind most cancers. Getting the body's immune system to respond is key. It could be seen as a prevention against spread in the body.
  - raxxorrax 5y ago
    It would be a breakthrough if this works since that would basically make almost all forms of cancer treatable.
- xiphias2 5y ago
  You are right that it’s not a vaccine, but you are wrong about the definition of a vaccine. Moderna’s personlized cancer vaccine triggers the immune system in a different way than this therapeutic. ,,Vaccines can be prophylactic (to prevent or ameliorate the effects of a future infection by a natural or "wild" pathogen), or therapeutic (to fight a disease that has already occurred, such as cancer.’’

My thoughts exactly. According to the Moderna pipeline [0], they're already on phase II trials for their cancer vaccine, which to me seems much more exciting than a proof-of-concept if that's what this is. [0]: https://www.modernatx.com/pipeline https://www.modernatx.com/pipeline

f6v 5y ago
And that’s why reproducibility studies aren’t a thing. People say “yeah that’s old news!” We need to fund independent validation. Especially knowing that private companies could massage the data to get to market.

ziddoap 5y ago

I think the news is the fact that a non-profit, non-affiliated (w/ Moderna) organization has additional supporting evidence for mRNA therapy for cancer patients who weren't responding to treatment otherwise. Not every piece of news needs to shake the world to the core.

laura2013 5y ago

it could be that this is public research vs private? It's quite exciting to see this scientific discovery having such widespread use, don't you agree? The research is around the [NKG7 protein][1], not sure what Moderna targets. [1]: https://cancerimmunolres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2021/12/10/2326-6066.CIR-21-0539.full-text.pdf https://cancerimmunolres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2021...

xiphias2 5y ago
Sure the more therapeutics use modern platforms, the better it is for humanity, I just wish these articles were written more similar to how a human would want me to understand the differences between approaches instead of trying to make a PR article. It's a bug deal that they found out about the importance of the NKG7 gene, but the whole article doesn't have a reference to it. Moderna's personal vaccine is different, as it sequences the cancer itself as far as I know.

onychomys 5y ago

This is a treatment, not a vaccine, so it's something you use after you get cancer instead of something you take to prevent you from getting it.

adamredwoods 5y ago
Correct it is to help T-cells identify existing cancer cells, because current immunotherapy isn't all that great (cancer cells are tricky!). >> Next, the researchers employed new sequencing technology that makes a mRNA-based change of primary immune cells possible. They identified the target gene in single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets. Then they performed a functional test to validate the role of the target gene in enhanced immune cell-mediated killing of tumor cells. This is important because cancer cells have different properties that enable it to sneak past T-cells. So they are trying to identify specific characteristics to tumor cells that enable them to make mRNA that then is used to shape T-cell behavior. These vaccines can also be used (hopefully) to prevent metastasis, which is the true killer behind most cancers. Getting the body's immune system to respond is key. It could be seen as a prevention against spread in the body.
- raxxorrax 5y ago
  It would be a breakthrough if this works since that would basically make almost all forms of cancer treatable.
xiphias2 5y ago
You are right that it’s not a vaccine, but you are wrong about the definition of a vaccine. Moderna’s personlized cancer vaccine triggers the immune system in a different way than this therapeutic. ,,Vaccines can be prophylactic (to prevent or ameliorate the effects of a future infection by a natural or "wild" pathogen), or therapeutic (to fight a disease that has already occurred, such as cancer.’’