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More than a decade ago, scientists at the National Cancer Institute began studying the idea of using patients' own immune cells to treat their HER2-positive cancers. The technique involved collecting dendritic cells in their blood and then genetically modifying them to produce parts of the HER2 protein. The hope was that if the modified cells were then reintroduced into the patient, they would generate an immune response against cancer.
Now, the NCI team is reporting promising results from a small trial in patients whose tumors overexpress HER2. The trial, presented at the International Conference on Cancer Immunotherapy CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR in New York, involved 17 patients who received 5 injections of the vaccine at different concentrations.
Of the 11 patients who received the two highest doses – 10 million dendritic cells or 20 million – six had a "clinical benefit," according to a statement released at the conference. The vaccine was given by skin injections. Apart from minor reactions at the injection site, no side effects were observed, the investigators said.
"We use a vaccine approach to generate an immune response to HER2, which is at elevated levels and promotes the growth of several types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, lung, colorectal and breast cancers. gastroesophageal, "said Jay Berzofsky, MD, Ph.D., head of the vaccine branch at the NCI Cancer Research Center, in the statement.
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Berzofsky and his colleagues first described their vaccine in the Cancer Research journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), while the field of immuno-oncology was in its infancy. In this article, they reported that a similar vaccine had eliminated large breast tumors and lung metastases in mice.
Dendritic cells are a subset of immune cells that have long been of interest to immuno-oncology researchers because they have the power to drive T cells to attack cancer, even if it is propagated beyond the original tumor site. Dendreon's Provenge, approved for the treatment of prostate cancer in 2010, is a custom vaccine made from the patient's dendritic cells. He had trouble understanding, but Dendreon – which was recently sold for the third time in three years – is trying various tactics to expand the product market.
Several other approaches using dendritic cells are under study, including a gel developed by scientists Dana-Farber and Harvard that can be placed directly on tumor sites during surgery. The gel has been formulated to activate dendritic cells. Earlier this year, researchers reported that in breast cancer models in mice, the gel eliminated metastases and prevented recurrence.
NCI researchers who developed the dendritic cell vaccine are considering testing the treatment in combination with drugs that inhibit immune checkpoints. Berzofsky said he hoped the team would be able to study their theory that combining two therapies boosting the immune system would increase the proportion of patients eligible for dendritic vaccines.
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