Bacterial vector cancer vaccines
Weakened bacteria such as Listeria engineered to carry tumour antigens, using the body's strong response to infection to train T cells against cancer.
Overview
Live attenuated Listeria monocytogenes and other bacteria naturally infect antigen-presenting cells and trigger powerful innate and T-cell responses. Engineered strains secreting tumour antigens (Advaxis's ADXS-HPV against HPV E7 in cervical cancer, and strains targeting mesothelin or neoantigens) reached phase 2 and 3 trials; results were disappointing and the approach is now concentrated in combination studies and personalised designs. Related work uses engineered bacteria to deliver payloads inside tumours.
How it works
Attenuated bacteria expressing a tumour antigen fused to an immunogenic bacterial protein are infused, infect dendritic cells and present the antigen with strong innate danger signals.
- Potent innate adjuvant effect
- Manufacturable and off the shelf
- Phase 3 failure in cervical cancer
- Infection risk in immunosuppressed patients
Latest papers
topQuery for this technology: (TITLE:"Bacterial vector cancer vaccines" OR ABSTRACT:"Bacterial vector cancer vaccines") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Bacterial vector cancer vaccines, not a curated reading list.