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Researchers say breakthrough vaccine could eradicate breast cancer wrapped up its phase one clinical trial this week, with more than 75% of women showing a strong immune response, as measured by antibodies on their white blood cells.
The most common cancer in women — and one of the deadliest — may soon be cornered. In a fight against breast cancer, researchers have announced promising results from the phase one clinical trial of a pioneering vaccine designed not only to prevent breast cancer but also to treat it.
Over 75% of participants exhibited a robust immune response, as revealed by elevated levels of specific antibodies in their white blood cells — a clear sign that the body was recognizing and preparing to fight the target molecule.
“It’s very exciting,” said Dr. Amit Kumar, CEO of Anixa Biosciences, which is spearheading the vaccine’s development in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic. The initial trial involved 35 women, most of whom were battling triple-negative breast cancer — an aggressive and difficult-to-treat form of the disease. This is the same type that led Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie to undergo a preventive double mastectomy at age 37 after discovering she carried the genetic mutation.
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How breast cancer vaccine works?
The experimental vaccine works by targeting alpha-lactalbumin, a lactation protein that is typically dormant except during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Participants had their blood periodically tested to monitor antibody production against this specific molecule. According to the researchers, the only side effect observed so far was mild irritation at the injection site — a small price to pay in the face of a potential cancer cure.
“It’s a very new mechanism and we think that if this works and is able to prevent cancer, then we can perhaps eliminate breast cancer as a disease, just like we’ve done for polio and various other infectious diseases,” Kumar told New York Post.
The upcoming phase two, expected to begin next year, will broaden the scope by including a larger participant pool and targeting other forms of breast cancer as well.
Despite decades of effort, a true cancer vaccine has remained an elusive goal. “Cancer vaccines have been very, very difficult to develop,” Kumar explained. “There’s never been a successful true cancer vaccine.”
Unlike traditional vaccines that attack foreign invaders like viruses, cancer poses a greater challenge — it arises from one’s own cells, making it difficult for the immune system to identify and attack.
“The cancer cells arise out of your own healthy cells … so the immune system is not able to see very distinctly that the cancer cell is a bad cell,” Kumar said.
Past vaccine attempts have often targeted proteins overly expressed in cancer cells, but this approach sometimes triggered the immune system to attack healthy tissues as well. That’s what makes this new strategy remarkable: alpha-lactalbumin is generally absent during most of a woman’s life, making it an ideal and safe target — especially for women who do not plan to have more children.
The original concept, envisioned nearly two decades ago by a Cleveland Clinic scientist, is finally bearing fruit. This trailblazing study is backed by funding from the U.S. Department of Defense, though Kumar expressed concern over potential setbacks due to federal budget cuts.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” he admitted.
Nevertheless, the research team is preparing to present their compelling findings to the Department of Defense later this year — a step that could pave the way for what may well be the world's first effective cancer vaccine.
