Currently in human trials, it targets a protein present in most triple negative breast cancers—and later may prevent "many other types of cancer," a lead researcher told us.
Every year, more than 315,000 people are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the U.S., making it the most common cancer type in women, according to the American Cancer Society. While treatment options are improving and fewer women are dying from the disease, there’s currently no approved vaccine to prevent breast cancer. Screening saves lives, but doctors are still playing defense.
To address this, scientists at Anixa Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the treatment and prevention of cancer, are now working on a new kind of breast cancer vaccine—and their progress just reached an important milestone. According to a November 12 news release, the company has secured a patent that protects its special method for training the immune system to attack a protein called alpha-lactalbumin (α-lactalbumin).
Typically present in the breast during late pregnancy and lactation, α-lactalbumin is also expressed in the vast majority of triple negative breast cancers—making it a clever target for a vaccine.
Anixa’s vaccine is designed to “teach” the immune system to recognize cells that produce the α-lactalbumin protein and eliminate them before they grow into tumors. Because healthy breast tissue usually doesn’t make this protein unless a woman is breastfeeding, the vaccine could avoid harming normal cells.
The idea was first developed over two decades ago at the Cleveland Clinic by two researchers, Dr. Vincent Tuohy and Dr. Justin Johnson. In 2018, Anixa licensed the technology and partnered with the Cleveland Clinic to take the vaccine from the laboratory to human clinical testing. After receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company began human testing in late 2021.
The Cleveland Clinic says phase one of the trial—which is currently ongoing with an anticipated end date around May 2026—was designed “to determine the maximum tolerated dose of the vaccine in patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer and to characterize and optimize the body’s immune response.” Further testing will include a diverse cohort of subjects, including:
- Women living with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer
- Women who were previously treated for triple-negative breast cancer
- Women at high genetic risk of triple-negative breast cancer
If additional trials confirm its efficacy and safety, the vaccine could be available to the public by 2030.
“One day, we hope to be able to give it to pretty much every woman in the world who’s worried about breast cancer,” Amit Kumar, PhD, chairman and chief executive officer of Anixa Biosciences, tells The Healthy. “But initially, it will be those who carry certain mutations that predispose them to getting breast cancer as well as those that have breast cancer in their families,” he notes.
Although the product is still being tested, this patent moves the science another step forward toward a future where preventing breast cancer could someday become as routine as getting a flu or Covid shot.
The team is already taking aim at the next targets, too: “If this vaccine is successful in preventing and treating breast cancer, the same process can be used to prevent many other types of cancer,” Dr. Kumar says. “Already we are working on ovarian, lung, prostate and colon cancer. We expect that many researchers will be looking to develop vaccines for all types of cancer.”
For daily wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
- Amy Robach Opens Up About Love, Loss, and Life Beyond Breast Cancer
- New UPenn Study: A Popular Blood Pressure Drug Could Also Slow This Aggressive Cancer
- This Common Vaccine Might Help Your Immune System Fight Cancer, Says New Research
- I Just Got the Pneumonia Vaccine, and I’m Only in my 30s—Here’s Why I Made the Decision
