Groundbreaking cancer vaccine leads to full recovery in nine patients

A groundbreaking, personalized cancer vaccine developed by Yale University has successfully wiped out tumours in nine patients with kidney cancer, offering new hope in the fight against the disease.

According to Turkish media, all participants in the study, conducted between March 2019 and September 2021, showed no signs of cancer during a three-year follow-up in July 2023, a remarkable achievement in the world of cancer treatment, Caliber.Az reports.

The vaccine was designed to target and destroy any remaining cancer cells after surgery, leaving healthy cells unharmed. Created by the Yale Cancer Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, this vaccine is personalized to each patient’s unique biological makeup, ensuring that the immune system identifies and eliminates only the specific mutations tied to the tumour.

Clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), one of the most aggressive forms of kidney cancer, kills 85-90% of those diagnosed with advanced stages. Yet, this experimental vaccine could prevent recurrences. While 20-50% of cancer cases experience a relapse, all nine patients in the study remained cancer-free after treatment.

Initially, the vaccine underwent safety and tolerance testing, with nine participants receiving seven doses in total—five during the first phase and two in the revaccination phase. Four patients received the vaccine alone, while the remaining five were also administered a low dose of ipilimumab, an immunotherapy drug.

The immune system effectively responded to up to 65% of the mutations found in the patient's tumours. The vaccine itself was developed using "neoantigens" — fragments of proteins that help the immune system detect and attack cancer cells.

Each patient’s tumour was sequenced, cancer-related proteins identified, and laboratory-synthesized peptides that matched those proteins were used to create a personalized vaccine.

The results were overwhelmingly positive, with the vaccine showing effectiveness both with and without immunotherapy, and minimal side effects—mainly mild flu-like symptoms.

Currently, the second phase of trials is underway, with the vaccine being tested alongside Keytruda (pembrolizumab), a drug that boosts the immune system’s response, in hopes of making this treatment even more effective.

By Tamilla Hasanova