There are many reasons to like the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. It does not cause blood clots and its officials say it probably works against the new most contagious variant that appeared in the UK
Now, new research reveals it may also work as a treatment for cancer, according to Reuters.
Researchers at the Jenner Institute in Oxford and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research have adapted the technology involved in COVID-19 inoculation to make a cancer treatment that has so far shown promising results in animal trials. The new treatment is a two-dose therapeutic cancer vaccine.
Researchers have said that the vaccine is set to enter human trials this year after studies in mice found a reduction in tumor size and an improved survival rate. The initial phase trial will focus on 80 participants with non-small cell lung cancer.
“This new vaccine platform has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment,” Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute he said to Reuters.
As medical professionals have rushed to develop coronavirus vaccines, we have seen the development of effective techniques to treat other diseases. TTechnologies such as messenger RNA have emerged and have even demonstrated its potential for use in treating other diseases, including cancer.
All of these developments involve using the immune system to fight tumors (or immunotherapy), a promising treatment for many cancers.
The Oxford shot would use the COVID-19 vaccine vector to carry the genetic code that prompts the body to target two proteins present on the surface of many types of cancer cells. But this is not all.
Vaccine technology has also been shown to produce strong T cell responses. These T cells consist of killer t cells that can they first find cancer cells and then are stimulated to kill them and help the T cells that organize and orchestrate the fight against cancer.
The study was published in the Journal for Cancer immunotherapy Friday.