On January 15, a Frenchman was administered, for the first time, an individualized, or “tailor-made” vaccine. But in fact, what is it?
In 2018, an initiative by the Transgene laboratory was testing a new combination of drugs aimed at developing a personalized vaccine for certain types of cancer, such as those of the head and neck or even the ovaries.
Using the tumor to teach the body to defend itself
Its principle: to sequence the tumor genome, ie three billion data points, in order to identify the most specific and stimulating sequences of the immune system. Then, inject the patient with the antigenic markers corresponding to these specific sequences, in order to train their immune system to defend themselves by producing antibodies and ultimately fight it, if the cancer should come back.
“The first patient is doing well”
The feat finally became reality. A Frenchman from the Toulouse region currently in remission, was injected with his first dose of individualized vaccine against a throat cancer. The objective is to prepare his immune system for a future attack, and to prevent any relapse. Ten to twenty other patients could benefit from theirs, tailor-made, very soon.
“The objective now is to show the safety of this treatment and prove that the patient’s body has developed an immune response. Our first patient is well, we are monitoring him”, comments on the regional daily West FranceProfessor Jean-Pierre Delord, Director General of the Toulouse Oncopole University Cancer Institute.
This vaccine works like any other. What is inoculated into him is harmless, but allows his body to activate its antibodies, the “T lymphocytes” (for killers) in order to defend itself.
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