4 ms·

There hasn't been a huge amount of progress in this area since this came out in 2009 at least from looking at Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_va

There hasn't been a huge amount of progress in this area since this came out in 2009 at least from looking at Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_vaccine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_vaccine

latchkey 5y ago
While not a direct vaccine, my best friend was just cleared of most of his cancer with immune system based therapy that didn't exist in 2009.
- hanniabu 5y ago
  Is this mRNA therapy?
  - jcims 5y ago
    Probably not. I’m not GP but the most common are known as ‘checkpoint inhibitors’ that attack one of the pillars of a ‘successful’ cancerous mutation: (over)expression of PD-L1, a surface protein that tells the immune system that it’s sniffing a healthy cell (eg. ~these are not the cells you're looking for~). Checkpoint inhibitors work by binding to those ligands, effectively disabling their spoofing action and allowing unhealthy stench of the cell to flow through. There’s also CAR T-cell therapies which effectively extract and culture T-cells to be more sensitive to the specific disease, then re-introduce them to the patient. These are best for blood cancers. There’s also monoclonal antibodies and a variety of sensitizers in development and being tested. We still have a ways to go, but personally it feels like the immune system is the best agent we have for fighting cancer. It’s entire job is to rid the body of pathogens, down to the individual cell/particle, with an adaptivity and specificity we can only dream of in medicine. Aside from the fact that cancers look just like us for the most part, it’s perfectly suited to the task. The thing I really am looking forward to specifically with the mRNA technology we have today is the ability for a lab to take a sample from a biopsy, identify very specific markers for those cells, and quickly develop targeted therapies for the individual patient. It might be 100 years away, but that feels like the future to me.
    - carlmr 5y ago
      >It might be 100 years away, but that feels like the future to me. I think if it works it's probably quite close now, with how much funding the mRNA scene got through covid. Plagues, wars and famines can often lead to leaps in technology that would have otherwise not worked.
    - jjtheblunt 5y ago
      look at the pipelines for BioNTech and Moderna (both of which predate the diversion of their resources to Covid 2 years ago) and you'll find exactly what you worry is 100 years away, already being done. Not kidding.
    - inglor_cz 5y ago
      As for the targeted therapies. This is precisely what started being trialed a few years ago. In people, not just in mice. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03072-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03072-8
      - jcims 5y ago
        This is so good to see. Thanks!
    - mcbain 5y ago
      Of these the PD-L1 and MABs are the most advanced, a number with FDA approvals and used as standard of care for a few cancers. Side effects can be nasty but often controlled by backing off the treatment or steroids (most problems are the immune system attacking the wrong thing like thyroid, colon, pancreas, etc). They’ve been game changing with nearing 50% success rates for some cancers - hence the Nobel prizes. But that still leaves 50% or more. mRNA as a platform is really exciting, but most current trials are personalised and very labour intensive, so intake/trial sites are minimal.
- derelicto 5y ago
  I worked with a genetics therapeutic company a while ago, CAR-T is looking to be the future of cancer treatment. Extremely expensive but no long term effects observed thus far. That said, its very early in the process to say it's the "cure to cancer".
  - belter 5y ago
    "Car-T cancer treatments: From science fiction to saving lives " https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30398672 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30398672
- vajrabum 5y ago
  Very cool. What was the treatment that he got?

latchkey 5y ago

While not a direct vaccine, my best friend was just cleared of most of his cancer with immune system based therapy that didn't exist in 2009.

hanniabu 5y ago
Is this mRNA therapy?
- jcims 5y ago
  Probably not. I’m not GP but the most common are known as ‘checkpoint inhibitors’ that attack one of the pillars of a ‘successful’ cancerous mutation: (over)expression of PD-L1, a surface protein that tells the immune system that it’s sniffing a healthy cell (eg. ~these are not the cells you're looking for~). Checkpoint inhibitors work by binding to those ligands, effectively disabling their spoofing action and allowing unhealthy stench of the cell to flow through. There’s also CAR T-cell therapies which effectively extract and culture T-cells to be more sensitive to the specific disease, then re-introduce them to the patient. These are best for blood cancers. There’s also monoclonal antibodies and a variety of sensitizers in development and being tested. We still have a ways to go, but personally it feels like the immune system is the best agent we have for fighting cancer. It’s entire job is to rid the body of pathogens, down to the individual cell/particle, with an adaptivity and specificity we can only dream of in medicine. Aside from the fact that cancers look just like us for the most part, it’s perfectly suited to the task. The thing I really am looking forward to specifically with the mRNA technology we have today is the ability for a lab to take a sample from a biopsy, identify very specific markers for those cells, and quickly develop targeted therapies for the individual patient. It might be 100 years away, but that feels like the future to me.
  - carlmr 5y ago
    >It might be 100 years away, but that feels like the future to me. I think if it works it's probably quite close now, with how much funding the mRNA scene got through covid. Plagues, wars and famines can often lead to leaps in technology that would have otherwise not worked.
  - jjtheblunt 5y ago
    look at the pipelines for BioNTech and Moderna (both of which predate the diversion of their resources to Covid 2 years ago) and you'll find exactly what you worry is 100 years away, already being done. Not kidding.
  - inglor_cz 5y ago
    As for the targeted therapies. This is precisely what started being trialed a few years ago. In people, not just in mice. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03072-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03072-8
    - jcims 5y ago
      This is so good to see. Thanks!
  - mcbain 5y ago
    Of these the PD-L1 and MABs are the most advanced, a number with FDA approvals and used as standard of care for a few cancers. Side effects can be nasty but often controlled by backing off the treatment or steroids (most problems are the immune system attacking the wrong thing like thyroid, colon, pancreas, etc). They’ve been game changing with nearing 50% success rates for some cancers - hence the Nobel prizes. But that still leaves 50% or more. mRNA as a platform is really exciting, but most current trials are personalised and very labour intensive, so intake/trial sites are minimal.
derelicto 5y ago
I worked with a genetics therapeutic company a while ago, CAR-T is looking to be the future of cancer treatment. Extremely expensive but no long term effects observed thus far. That said, its very early in the process to say it's the "cure to cancer".
- belter 5y ago
  "Car-T cancer treatments: From science fiction to saving lives " https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30398672 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30398672
vajrabum 5y ago
Very cool. What was the treatment that he got?