An experimental mRNA vaccine that supercharges existing cancer treatments could be laying the groundwork for a \u201cuniversal\u201d cancer vaccine, according to the team behind the breakthrough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scientists at the University of Florida tested the innovation in mice and found it provoked a strong antitumor response when paired with immunotherapy. The surprising part was that the vaccine achieves this not by targeting a specific type of tumor, but by giving the immune system a general helping hand, meaning it could be applied to pretty much any type of cancer.<\/p>\n
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Cancer vaccines sound like a utopian dream, but they\u2019re\u00a0not a new concept<\/a>. mRNA vaccine technology in particular \u2013 though many of us associate it with COVID-19 \u2013 has been\u00a0changing the game<\/a>\u00a0when it comes to vaccine research in oncology.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2026<\/p>\n Adding the vaccine to a treatment regimen was able to induce T cells to respond to a tumor that had previously been resisting treatment. In some of the experiments<\/a>, an mRNA formulation alone was enough to treat the cancer, sometimes eliminating the tumor altogether.<\/p>\n