Hpv, the first tests on mRna vaccines against tumors caused by the virus are positive
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Not just Covid-19. mRNA vaccines could soon become a permanent part of the armamentarium of anticancer therapies. A study just published in Science Translational Medicine – for now carried out in an animal model – has shown that with a single injection of an mRNA vaccine, specially designed against some components of the human papillomavirus (HPV), it is possible to curb the growth of tumors related to the virus, such as that of the cervix, and prevent the disease from returning. An important result – by a joint group of US researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Brazilians from the Universidade de São Paulo – which confirms the effectiveness of this approach already being tested in humans for some forms of cancer. And that comes just on the eve of World Papilloma Virus Day (March 4).
Italy wants to be at the forefront in the prevention of tumors caused by the papilloma virus
by Dario Rubino
What are mRNA vaccines?
We met them in the fight against Covid-19. Since December 2020 – the month in which Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty officially entered the market – mRNA vaccines have drastically changed the trajectory of the pandemic, helping to save thousands of lives. The idea behind these products is as simple as it is brilliant: to inject information – in the form of mRNA – so that the body itself produces the proteins necessary to stimulate an immune response. But the success of mRNA vaccines in preventing Covid-19 has its roots in the past decade. In fact, this technology, which came in handy during the pandemic, has long been under study in the fight against cancer.
From preventive vaccines to therapeutic vaccines
But be careful not to confuse the purpose: vaccines have always been used to avoid getting sick. However, by stimulating the immune system, vaccines can also perform a therapeutic function. And this is the case of mRNA vaccines against cancer, useful for producing an immune response directed against cancer cells. To date, there are many studies underway to evaluate the usefulness of this strategy. Among the most advanced are those against tumors caused by the HPV virus.
HPV, still too few children vaccinated
by Letizia Gabaglio
When the tumor is caused by a virus
According to the latest data from the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM), every year in Italy there are about 5,000 new diagnoses of tumors related to the presence of HPV, primarily cervical cancer, followed by head and neck cancers. Fortunately, preventive vaccines (not mRna) have been available for several years capable of neutralizing the virus and preventing the development of the tumor in the long term. But it is in cases where the tumor develops that therapeutic mRNA vaccines come into play. This is because, although there are effective treatments, the disease often becomes resistant to treatments, thus reducing the chances of a long-term cure.
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by Tiziana Moriconi
The idea of testing mRNA technology in neoplasms related to HPV infections stems from the following observation: women who have a better prognosis for cervical cancer are those who have, within the tumor mass, a greater presence of T lymphocytes, cells of the immune system that try to fight the tumor. Starting from this observation, the researchers’ idea was to create a vaccine capable of stimulating the production of T lymphocytes useful both for attacking the tumor and for generating long-term memory, in such a way as to reduce the risk of developing the disease again.
A trial for a breast cancer vaccine is underway
by Tina Simoniello
I study
In the recently published study, the scientists tested three different mRNA vaccine “platforms” directed against a “fusion protein” that originates from the HPV-16 and herpes simplex viral strains. The objective of the tests, carried out in mice, was to evaluate the vaccine’s ability to generate an immune response and the consequent ability to attack and fight the tumor. The analyzes showed that – regardless of the platform used – a single low-dose injection of mRNA vaccine led to robust production of tumor-specific T lymphocytes. Production that had as a direct consequence the elimination of the tumor mass and the prevention of recurrences. Not only that, in the experiment mRNA technology was compared, in terms of response, to therapeutic vaccination obtained through the classic model of protein subunit vaccines. This second modality, while generating an immune response, did not lead to a regression of the disease. A significant feature that confirms the effectiveness of the approach with mRNA platforms compared to traditional ones.
The future of mRNA vaccines in the fight against cancer
Important results, those shown in the publication in Science Translational Medicine, capable of opening the doors to experimentation in humans. As regards the use of mRNA vaccines in the treatment of tumors, to date, several clinical trials are already underway in tumors of different types including lung cancer, melanoma and head and neck tumors, but none of the vaccines used has yet received final approval. However, the list of experiments is destined to increase. “The use of this strategy – comments Michele Maio, full professor of Oncology at the University of Siena, director of the Immuno-Oncology Center at the Policlinico Le Scotte hospital in Siena and president of the NIBIT Foundation – is nothing new. In fact, several clinical trials are also underway in Italy that combine the mRNA approach with the classic immunotherapies that we already have available. In the past, clinical trials with therapeutic vaccines, used alone, have unfortunately had alternating success both due to the more limited technological and immunological knowledge, and due to a methodological error of approach. In fact, in recent years the effectiveness of these therapeutic tools capable of acting on the immune system was evaluated according to the typical criteria of classic chemotherapy, such as for example the ability to reduce the tumor mass within a certain time frame. Over the years we have understood that immunotherapy drugs, and even more therapeutic vaccines that require more time to act, need to change the method by which to evaluate their clinical efficacy. Now, thanks to the pandemic which has been controlled also thanks to mRNA vaccines, there has been renewed interest in these therapeutic agents against cancer. These tools, if used in combination with the therapies that we already have available today, will certainly contribute in the coming years to increasingly improve the control of the disease”.
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