Breakthrough in clinical trials on dogs and human patients » Science News

An mRNA vaccine for brain cancer shows promise in clinical trials in dogs and human patients, increasing survival and opening up new treatment prospects.

Glioma is fatal for puppies and a serious diagnosis in humans we hope this new treatment can help us both. (Maria Sbytova/Shutterstock.com)

A new mRNA-based vaccine candidate for aggressive brain cancer has shown promise in a small clinical trial that marked a significant breakthrough in medical research. In addition to testing the vaccine on a limited group of human cancer patients, the researchers also included 10 domestic dogs in their studies. This approach is common in the field of pharmaceutical research, where animals are often used as models to test new drugs and treatments before moving on to humans.

In animal tests, scientists try to replicate human conditions as closely as possible, using animal models with organ systems similar to humans. In the case of this mRNA-based vaccine, the animal testing phase was successfully completed in mice, but it was a subsequent step that made the trial even more innovative.

Dogs are the only non-human species that can develop spontaneous brain tumors, making them a unique model for testing treatments in a more natural setting. In this study, the owners of 10 domestic dogs consented to the participation of their four-legged friends. These dogs suffered from a type of brain cancer called glioma, a universally fatal disease. The clinical trial offered them the only treatment option available.

Compared to the average survival of 30 to 60 days after a glioma diagnosis, dogs treated with the vaccine lived for a median of 139 days, allowing them to receive more treatments and enjoy more time with their owners. After the positive results obtained in both mice and dogs, the team extended the trial to four human patients suffering from glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer with a low survival rate.

It is still early to fully evaluate the clinical effects of the vaccine, but all treated patients showed greater survival than expected. These promising results have prompted researchers to plan a larger Phase I trial that will include both children and adults.

The glioblastoma vaccine is based on the use of mRNA, which allows personalization of the treatment for each patient. This innovative approach involves using groups of mRNA particles wrapped around each other, which stimulate the immune system more effectively than individual particles.

This method of administration accelerates the response of the immune system, preparing it to fight residual tumor cells. The combination of personalization and innovative vaccine delivery could represent a new paradigm in cancer treatment, paving the way for combined therapies and modulations of the immune system.

The study, published in the journal Cell, showed that the mRNA-based vaccine generated similar and strong responses among mice, domestic dogs and human brain cancer patients. This finding is of fundamental importance, as it confirms the efficacy of the vaccine in different species and suggests a potential significant impact in the treatment of brain cancer.

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