Breast cancer vaccine to begin first-of-its-kind human trial

(Maddy Chapman/ IFL Science) — A first-of-its-kind breast cancer vaccine is set to begin phase I trials. The trial will be the first to test a vaccine against triple-negative breast cancer – the most aggressive and deadly form of breast cancer – in humans. That’s a whole lot of firsts, it’s no wonder the scientists behind it are so excited.

“Long term, we are hoping that this can be a true preventive vaccine that would be administered to healthy women to prevent them from developing triple-negative breast cancer, the form of breast cancer for which we have the least effective treatments.,” Dr G. Thomas Budd, principal investigator of the study, said in a statement.

The Cleveland Clinic announced the trial on Tuesday, following the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval of an investigational new drug application for the vaccine. Based on two decades worth of lab work and animal research, the world-first human trial will take place at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute and will initially include 18 to 24 early-stage triple-negative breast cancer survivors who are at high risk of recurrence. (…)