Anixa Biosciences, a biotech company dedicated to fighting cancer, recently announced positive results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of their breast cancer vaccine. This vaccine holds particular promise for Black women, who are disproportionately affected by breast cancer.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer with limited treatment options. It makes up a higher percentage of breast cancer deaths compared to other forms and has a higher recurrence rate. Black women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with TNBC compared to white women. This disparity highlights the urgent need for new and effective treatment options for Black women specifically.
How does the breast cancer vaccine work?
The Anixa vaccine targets a protein called alpha-lactalbumin, which is present in most TNBC tumors but disappears from healthy tissues after lactation. This “retired” protein essentially acts like a red flag to the immune system, allowing it to recognize and destroy cancer cells expressing it. This approach offers a unique strategy for preventing TNBC recurrence or even potentially preventing the initial onset of the disease.
“We’ve tested the vaccine on 25 women so far, and in most cases, we’ve seen a robust immune response,” Amit Kumar, CEO of Anixa, said in an interview with CW39 Houston. “In some of the women we’re seeing a more modest immune response, but what that means [is] their immune systems are reacting in a way that we hope will eventually prevent breast cancer just like how vaccines prevent other infectious diseases like smallpox and polio.”
The Phase 1 trial, conducted in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, showed encouraging results. The majority of patients developed an immune response against alpha-lactalbumin, indicating the vaccine successfully activated the immune system. Importantly, the vaccine was well-tolerated with minimal side effects.
“We train the body’s immune system of a vaccinated patient to recognize breast cancer cells as they arise and we hope that the immune system will destroy those cells before [they] become a multibillion-cell tumor mass that you can see on a mammogram,” Kumar adds.
When will the breast cancer vaccine be available?
Anixa plans to continue studying the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness in larger trials with different patient groups. First, it will focus on preventing triple-negative breast cancer recurrence in patients who have already undergone treatment. Future studies may investigate its ability to prevent the disease altogether, particularly in women with a high risk of developing TNBC, including those with BRCA (breast cancer) gene mutations. Kumar expresses hope that a phase 2 trial will begin in 2025, anticipating that the vaccine will be available in the coming years.
This new vaccine technology offers a ray of hope for Black women facing a disproportionate burden of triple-negative breast cancer. While more research is needed, the early results are promising and highlight the potential for this vaccine to become a valuable tool in the fight against breast cancer, particularly for Black women.
