Experimental vaccine combats melanoma

A vaccine being tested for its effectiveness in treating melanoma demonstrated success in triggering an immune response against the disease, according to results of a recent study.

Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, studied the vaccine made from patients’ dendritic cells, which were modified to boost the production of interleukin 12p70 (IL-12p70), HealthDay News reports. IL-12p70 can stimulate an effective immune response against melanoma. The vaccine was tested in seven patients who had recently been diagnosed with stage IV melanoma. They were immunized against the gp100 melanoma antigen with autologous peptide-pulsed, CD40L/IFN-gamma-matured dendritic cells.

Investigators found that six of the seven patients developed sustained T cell immunity to all three melanoma gp100 antigen-derived peptides. Additionally, three patients demonstrated slowed tumor progression, according to HealthDay News.

“These findings underscore the essential role of IL-12p70 in the development of therapeutic type 1 antigen-specific CD8+ T cell immunity in humans with cancer,” study authors concluded.

The study results were published online July 11 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.