Experimental "super vaccine" stopped cancer cold in the lab
14 hours ago
- #immunotherapy
- #nanoparticle
- #cancer-vaccine
- UMass Amherst researchers developed a nanoparticle-based cancer vaccine preventing melanoma, pancreatic, and triple-negative breast cancers in mice with up to 88% tumor-free survival.
- The vaccine triggers multi-pathway immune responses, producing strong T-cell activation and long-term immune memory, stopping tumor growth and metastasis.
- Using a lipid nanoparticle 'super adjuvant,' the vaccine combines cancer-specific antigens to overcome immunotherapy challenges.
- In tests, 80% of vaccinated mice remained tumor-free for 250 days, while unvaccinated mice developed tumors and died within 35 days.
- The vaccine also prevented lung metastases, with none of the vaccinated mice developing lung tumors.
- A second version using tumor lysate showed 88%, 75%, and 69% rejection rates for pancreatic, breast, and melanoma cancers, respectively.
- The nanoparticle design allows stable encapsulation of two distinct immune adjuvants, activating immunity synergistically.
- Researchers plan to extend this technology to therapeutic vaccines and have founded a startup, NanoVax Therapeutics, for translational efforts.
- The study was published in Cell Reports Medicine on October 9, 2025.