Vaccine for Lung Cancer Shows Promise

An adenovirus TAP-1 (transporter associated with antigen processing) cancer vaccine has been found successful in treating animal models of lung cancer. The results were reported at the 12th International Congress of Immunology in Montreal (Canada) in July 2004.

The vaccine, designed with the human version of TAP-1 together with a nonreplicating adenovirus applicable for use in humans, was able to increase the survival rate, retard tumor growth, and promote a centralized immune response to the cancer in the animal model. Studies showed that the immune system of the animal had been sufficiently armed to locate cancerous cells throughout the animal and to prevent metastasis.

Many forms of cancer cells, including melanoma, lung, prostate, and breast cancers, have a disruption in TAP. Without a properly activated TAP, cancerous cells do not identify themselves to the immune system as an alien cell type and they remain camouflaged, allowing cancer to proliferate and eventually metastasize in the body. When TAP is properly activated in a cell, it produces signals that indicate the identity of the cell to the immune system. The current nonreplicating vaccine acts to stimulate the mechanisms required for the identify of the cancer cell to be recognized as foreign, which is intended to cause the cancer cells to be naturally eliminated by the immune system.

The vaccine was developed by GeneMax Corp. (Vancouver, Canada).




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