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Clinical trials of an anti-tumor vaccine have begun
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
The patented cancer vaccine Immunicum activates the body's own immune system to attack tumor cells. Scientists recently won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering dendritic cells and their role in immune responses. The Immunicum vaccine is based on this same type of cell.
However, this vaccine is different from other cancer vaccines. Traditionally, dendritic cell-based cancer vaccines are made from patients’ own cells. This means that each vaccine is individually tailored to the patient, which is an expensive, complicated and time-consuming process. What’s more, the procedure can cause some discomfort for a patient who is seriously ill, says vaccine developer Jamal El-Mosleh.
The Immunicum vaccine is based on the use of dendritic cells from healthy people, which makes it possible to organize its mass production.
The vaccine was tested on animals to study its therapeutic effect. The results showed that tumors decreased in weight and volume. Toxicity studies were also conducted to study possible side effects, especially with an emphasis on autoimmune diseases. The results of the study showed good tolerability of the vaccine with minimal side effects.
The FDA has already given approval for phases 1 and 2 clinical trials of the vaccine, which will begin in the next few months in 12 patients with metastatic kidney cancer. "The study will last about a year and we will evaluate both the safety and efficacy of the vaccine," said Jamal el-Mosleh.