atprm
09-16-2008, 06:24 AM
Detroit Researchers Develop Breast Cancer Vaccine
Karmanos, WSU Researchers Release Positive Results
POSTED: 3:30 pm EDT September 15, 2008
UPDATED: 7:34 pm EDT September 15, 2008
DETROIT -- It’s being considered a potential breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer, and Detroit is at the center of the research.
Researchers at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the Wayne State University School of Medicine have developed a vaccine that has been shown to prevent breast cancer tumors from growing in early tests.
Dr. Wei-Zen Wei and a team of researchers have been working on the vaccine since 1996, and released their results in a study published in the Sept. 15 issue of Cancer Research.
"We can now vaccinate against something that is not a viral antigen, but something that is part of yourself that is over expressed in cancer cells," said Wei.
According to the research, approximately 20 to 30 percent of breast cancer tumors produce too much of the protein HER2; this causes the tumors to grow rapidly and are more likely to return at a higher rate.
Wei explained that the vaccine, labeled HER2 DNA, was tested on mice that had tumors that were not responding to other treatments. The results showed that the vaccine prevented the tumors from growing and was not toxic to the mice.
Wei said the hope is to train the body through the vaccine to attack the harmful cells before they ban together and form a tumor.
Although vaccines have been released since 1999, Wei’s lab is considered the first to develop HER2 DNA vaccines.
"You doubt yourself every day," said Wei. "You know with science, you are always doing the challenging, the difficult."
But Wei said she's excited about the potential and will continue to push for more research of the vaccine with the hope that humans can safely use it to their advantage.
Karmanos, WSU Researchers Release Positive Results
POSTED: 3:30 pm EDT September 15, 2008
UPDATED: 7:34 pm EDT September 15, 2008
DETROIT -- It’s being considered a potential breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer, and Detroit is at the center of the research.
Researchers at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the Wayne State University School of Medicine have developed a vaccine that has been shown to prevent breast cancer tumors from growing in early tests.
Dr. Wei-Zen Wei and a team of researchers have been working on the vaccine since 1996, and released their results in a study published in the Sept. 15 issue of Cancer Research.
"We can now vaccinate against something that is not a viral antigen, but something that is part of yourself that is over expressed in cancer cells," said Wei.
According to the research, approximately 20 to 30 percent of breast cancer tumors produce too much of the protein HER2; this causes the tumors to grow rapidly and are more likely to return at a higher rate.
Wei explained that the vaccine, labeled HER2 DNA, was tested on mice that had tumors that were not responding to other treatments. The results showed that the vaccine prevented the tumors from growing and was not toxic to the mice.
Wei said the hope is to train the body through the vaccine to attack the harmful cells before they ban together and form a tumor.
Although vaccines have been released since 1999, Wei’s lab is considered the first to develop HER2 DNA vaccines.
"You doubt yourself every day," said Wei. "You know with science, you are always doing the challenging, the difficult."
But Wei said she's excited about the potential and will continue to push for more research of the vaccine with the hope that humans can safely use it to their advantage.