A new unique vaccine forces the body's immune system to attack cancer cells. Scientists from the University of Leeds have developed a new vaccine that forces the body's immune system to attack cancer cells without touching healthy cells.

In a report published in the journal Nature Medicine, the study authors report the results of testing the vaccine in mice with prostate cancer. It turned out that the remedy reduced tumors in rodents.

British experts believe that it can become the basis for the development of a medicinal product for people suffering from oncological diseases.

"It is important to treat cancer using the immune system, and we have developed a new approach that has promising prospects," said Alan Melcher, one of the leaders of the work. According to him, this method can be used to combat other forms of cancer, including melanoma (skin cancer) and breast cancer.

Unlike traditional, therapeutic vaccines are not designed to prevent disease, but to treat it. They affect the tumor, stimulating the immune system to recognize the antigens - specific proteins on the surface of cells.

Today, several drug manufacturers are trying to develop against cancer, but the task dramatically complicates the fact that for each type of tumor requires different antigens, which are very difficult to determine.

Together with colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Melcher's team injected a dose of a new vaccine into the bloodstream of cancer-infected mice. Scientists found that the immunization activated the immune system.

According to Melcher, the biggest problem of immunology is the development of antigens, which can launch the immune system. "Using DNA taken from the same part of the body as the tumor, we can solve this problem." This will help control the disease, "Melcher said.

The scientist plans to conduct clinical trials on humans in the coming years. Note that to date, there are two immunotherapeutic drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is about "Ipilimumab" (Ipilimumab), intended for the treatment of patients with progressive melanoma, and "Provenge" (Provenge), which helps patients with prostate cancer.