According to scientists at Stanford University, the injection of induced pluripotent stem cells, inactivated by irradiation, has triggered a strong response against breast, lung and skin cancers in mice. The vaccine has also prevented relapses in animals whose tumour had been removed. The study, which was published in Cell stem cell on 15 February, focuses on a sample of 75 mice. Within four weeks, 70% of them had rejected the implanted cancerous cells and 30% presented significantly smaller tumours.
The main author, Joseph Wu, explains that many of the antigens contained in iPS cells are also found in cancerous cells. Following vaccination with iPS cells, the mice develop a simultaneous immune response to iPS antigens and cancer cells.
Medical press (15/02/2018)