Dr. Catherine Wu Wants To Make Personalized Cancer Vaccines A Reality
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
Scientists have found cures for many types of diseases. However, a guaranteed way to fight cancer has proved elusive. That is because every person's cancer is based on their particular genes. Dr. Catherine Wu and her team at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, aim to change that by developing custom vaccines to fight each person's unique cancer.
Dr. Wu's research focuses on harnessing the power of the body's immune system to fight cancer cells. She got the idea after watching how a bone marrow transplant helped leukemia patients reset their immune systems to fight the disease.
"There in front of my eyes were people who are being cured of their leukemia because of the mobilization of the immune response,” she said.
The researcher wondered if vaccines created using an individual's cancer characteristics could stimulate their immune system to attack the diseased cells more effectively.
For their first study, Dr. Wu and her team chose six people suffering from advanced melanoma, a type of skin cancer. The scientists began by analyzing each individual's cancer characteristics. They then created personalized vaccines containing each patient's unique proteins. The vaccines were designed to train the patients' immune systems to recognize and kill cancer cells while sparing the healthy ones.
In 2015, all individuals were given a seven-shot course of their personalized vaccines. By 2017, four patients showed no signs of cancer recurrence. The tumors did return for the two patients with the most advanced cancer. But the growths disappeared after the patients received four more doses of the customized vaccines. By 2021, all six patients were declared cancer-free.
Though the sample size is small, Dr. Wu's research has proved that personalized vaccines can effectively battle cancer. Her pioneering work has earned her numerous awards. Most recently, in February 2024, she received the prestigious Sjöberg Prize. The honor carries a prize of $1 million — $100,000 as award money and $900,000 to fund future cancer research.
Resources: harvard.edu, CNN.com, danafarber.com
Get the Workbook for this article!
Workbook contains: Article, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking Questions, Vocabulary in Context (+ answers), Multiple Choice Quiz (+ answers), Parts of Speech Quiz (+ answers), Vocabulary Game (+ answers)Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
28 Comments
summer_beach3 monthsOr, we could stop making foods and other things with cancer causing chemicals in them. I don't think I would get this vaccine.- vujenegyrehe7 daysCancer can be caused by other things besides just foods. It can even happen completely randomly. The vaccine would cure this cancer.
marinaa3 monthsthis helped!!
ttvmysticfn4 monthswhy isn't this in the u.s yet
chemist9994 monthsThanks Catherine J. Wu for creating a cancer vaccines
carrie364 monthsThis is awesome!👍 why don't they just do this for everyone else???
girly_pop325 monthsThis is the best thing ever because a lot of people are riding or getting sick and that's really bad 🤒
koalaqueen5 monthsSo cool this is so good !!!!!!!!
puticahatejo5 monthsCancer is so bad this could help a lot.
ingojones5 monthsAmazing
vovajogusyfa5 monthsOMG!! I would love it when people finally stop getting sick from cancer. I wonder what would have will happen if these vaccines weren't discovered!!- girly_pop325 monthsIf these vaccines weren't discovered then A LOT of people would die or get sick. 🤒
