‘One-two-punch' cancer vaccine weaponises the immune system to attack ANY tumour – raising hopes of universal jab
Experts from the University of Florida say they've developed a powerful mRNA vaccine that trains the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells.
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It's dubbed the 'one-two punch' after the powerful boxing move where a jab sets up a cross to knock the opponent down.
This is because this jab also works in two steps: first by waking up the immune system, then helping it attack cancer cells more effectively.
It does this by boosting the effects of immunotherapy, a type of cancer treatment that helps the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells.
The groundbreaking discovery brings us closer to a universal cancer jab that could work across many tumour types, it is hope
Research in mice showed that combining the jab with a common immunotherapy drug called an immune checkpoint inhibitor helped fight even resistant tumours.
Dr Elias Sayour, the study's senior author, said: 'This paper describes a very unexpected and exciting observation: that even a vaccine not specific to any particular tumour or virus, so long as it is an mRNA vaccine, could lead to tumour-specific effects.'
He added: 'This finding is a proof of concept that these vaccines potentially could be commercialised as universal cancer vaccines to sensitise the immune system against a patient's individual tumour.'
Unlike previous cancer vaccines that try to hone in on a particular protein in the cell, the new jab works by simply firing up the immune system, tricking it into responding as if it were under viral attack.
By boosting levels of a protein called PD-L1 inside tumours, it makes them more receptive to immunotherapy and helps immune cells recognise them as dangerous.
Lead scientist Dr Duane Mitchell, co-author of the study, said: 'What we found is by using a vaccine designed not to target cancer specifically but rather to stimulate a strong immunologic response, we could elicit a very strong anticancer reaction.
The signs and symptoms of cancer
'And so this has significant potential to be broadly used across cancer patients, even possibly leading us to an off-the-shelf cancer vaccine.'
For the past eight years, Dr Sayour's lab has been developing cutting-edge vaccines using the same mRNA technology found in Covid jabs.
Last year, they trialled a personalised version in four patients with glioblastoma - an aggressive and usually deadly brain tumour.
They saw a fast and fierce immune response that helped fight off the cancer.
'Profound'
The latest study, published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, tested a more generalised version of the jab, not tailored to individual tumours, and still saw dramatic results.
In mice with melanoma, a type of deadly skin cancer, combining the jab with an immunotherapy drug called a PD-1 inhibitor led to tumour shrinkage
While in some skin, bone, and brain cancer models, the jab alone eliminated tumours completely.
Dr Sayour explained: 'Even an immune response that is seemingly unrelated to the cancer may be able to activate T cells that weren't working before, allowing them to multiply and kill the tumour if the response is strong enough.'
Dr Mitchell said: 'It could potentially be a universal way of waking up a patient's own immune response to cancer.
'And that would be profound if generalisable to human studies.'
The team are now working to improve the formula and begin human trials as soon as possible.
Cancer treatments explained – from chemotherapy to radiotherapy and surgery
Because everybody is different and people's cancers are caught at different stages, there is no one size fits all treatment.
It's also common for patients to be offered a combination of treatments to provide the best chance of survival.
According to the NHS, there are six main ways of treating cancer.
Surgery: Removes the tumour physically; not used for cancers like blood or lymphatic system tumours.
Radiotherapy: Uses high-energy rays (like X-rays) to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumours. Nearly half of cancer patients receive this. Common side effects include fatigue and sore skin.
Chemotherapy: Systemic treatment with powerful drugs that kill fast-dividing cells throughout the body. May be given before or after surgery to shrink tumours or reduce recurrence risk. Side effects range from hair loss to nausea.
Hormonal therapy: Stops certain cancers (like breast or prostate) from growing by blocking hormone production or function.
Targeted/biological therapy: Focuses on specific cancer-linked proteins or genetic changes; also includes some immunotherapy drugs.
Stem cell/bone marrow transplant – Replaces damaged blood-forming cells after high-dose chemotherapy or radiotherapy; used in cancers like lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Our body is a mosaic of fungi. Some scientists think they could be influencing our brain
The fungi within our bodies may have a much greater effect on our health than we've long given them credit for. Amongst the millions of tiny life forms living on and inside our bodies are countless species of fungi. Our skin is a mosaic of them, membranes inside the nose and vagina are full of them, and fungi even live alongside the bacteria inside our guts. While we might acquire some fungi from our mothers at birth, new fungi are also constantly entering our bodies; we ingest yeasts every time we drink beer or eat bread, and we inhale floating fungal spores with every breath. Many of these fungi are quickly killed off by our immune systems, but others are transient passengers or lifelong acquaintances. Lately, scientists have been exploring how our fungal inhabitants could even influence our brains, minds and behaviour. Doctors have long known that fungi can cause dangerous brain infections. But researchers are now also finding curious – albeit sometimes controversial – hints that these microbes might have other neurological effects on humans. The idea might evoke images of the human-zombifying fungus from HBO's apocalyptic series The Last of Us. But while scientists agree that the idea of fungi taking complete control over our bodies is implausible, they're earnestly investigating whether some fungi inside us could contribute to brain-damaging diseases, or if gut-dwelling fungi could influence our behaviour and mental health. Much more research is needed, experts say. But these possibilities are important to study – both to understand the deep and complex relationships with the microbes within us and to explore new ways of boosting our health. In general, humans are pretty good at resisting fungi (our warm body temperature tends to make it hard for them to take hold). And many of the fungi that do might actually be good for us, possibly supporting our immune systems or helping wounds to heal, says microbiologist Matthew Olm of the University of Colorado Boulder, US. "I would say fungi are definitely a critical part of being a healthy human," he says. But many other fungi can cause infections, from athlete's foot to thrush. This happens when we encounter new, harmful fungi in our environment or when fungi that naturally coexist with us are under certain conditions triggered to explode in abundance, says Rebecca Drummond, a fungal immunologist at the University of Birmingham, UK. It's rare for fungi to reach the brain, thanks to protective barriers in the lungs and intestines, along with the brain's own defensive wall, the blood-brain barrier, and immune cells that are primed to destroy any fungi that slip through. But fungal brain infections do happen, and the number of cases has increased in recent decades. This is due to a growing number of people with weakened immune systems, Drummond says, partly because of the global spread of the immune-crippling virus HIV, especially in parts of Africa but also due to rising use of immune-suppressing medications in cancer patients and organ transplant recipients. "The more of these immune-modulating drugs we use, we'll see more of these fungal infections," Drummond says. Fungi that infect the brain sometimes originate in the lungs, including Aspergillus or Cryptococcus, which we inhale as airborne spores that can germinate, grow and spread if left unchecked, Drummond says. Less often, common gut residents such as Candida albicans grow out of control and, once in the brain, branches out and produces nerve-killing toxins, Drummond adds. Cryptococcus, meanwhile, can grow into tumour-like masses. "Obviously, that causes huge amounts of damage," she says. Fungal brain infections are often fatal, with Aspergillus reaching mortality rates of above 90%. They can be tricky to treat, says Drummond: there aren't many antifungal medications, and not all drugs get across the blood-brain barrier to kill off brain-dwelling fungi. Some fungi have also already developed resistance to these drugs. People who survive fungal infections of the brain are often left with long-term brain damage. Aids patients who have survived cryptococcal meningitis, which arises from a brain infection by Cryptococcus x, suffer vision impairments, memory loss and dizziness, says Drummond. Scientists have long known of the dangers of fungal brain infections. But in recent years, some have been exploring the possibility that fungi are getting into the brain much more frequently than previously believed, and may even be contributing to the loss of nerve cells that occurs in conditions like Alzheimer's disease. To Richard Lathe, a molecular biologist at the University of Edinburgh, UK, some of the most interesting evidence for this theory comes from a handful of cases where fungal and other microbial brain infections were coincidentally discovered in people initially diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In several cases where doctors prescribed infection-fighting medication, "the symptoms of dementia remitted", Lathe says. "Quite remarkably, some of them went back to work". Lathe believes that microbes slip across the blood-brain barrier quite frequently but are usually suppressed or killed in people with healthy immune systems. Because our immune systems weaken with age, that could allow microbes to accumulate in the brain, perhaps triggering nerve-killing inflammation. "It's only when the immune system declines that you see damage," he says. Scientists have long linked Alzheimer's to a build-up of certain proteins in the brain, but there's now a growing debate over whether the presence of those proteins is the cause or merely a symptom of the disease. Lathe argues these proteins are actually produced as a defence mechanism against microbial intrusion, based on research suggesting the proteins have infection-fighting properties. Further evidence that brain-intruding microbes could be causing Alzheimer's comes from experiments in mice, where scientists have witnessed the fungus Candida albicans entering the brain after the rodents' immune systems were compromised. And in one pre-print study – which hasn't yet been peer-reviewed by other scientists – Lathe and his colleagues examined brain slices from deceased healthy people and Alzheimer's patients. They found large quantities of bacteria, viruses and fungi in both groups – but more in the brains from patients who had Alzheimer's. If microbes are indeed a factor in Alzheimer's, we may be able to mitigate or even prevent the disease by strengthening people's immune defences, for instance with vaccines that have been shown to boost general immunity. But this theory is young, Lathe says. "It's a new idea." And a debated one, too. Olm and others argue it's hard to rule out that the microbial genetic material may have appeared because of contamination, as fragments of microbes tend to be ubiquitous. Lathe finds that unlikely, though, pointing to reports that microbe fragments in brain tissue are just as abundant inside the samples as they are on the surface, whereas contamination from the air would mostly settle on the brain surface. Still, Olm says that finding more microbe fragments in Alzheimer's brains isn't proof that those microbes cause the disease. For instance, those people's brains might simply have had a weaker blood-brain barrier or some other issue, meaning more microbes entered their brains over time before being killed off by their immune systems. However, new evidence that microbes can invade the brains of animals like fish strengthens the notion that this could be happening in mammals – and perhaps even humans, Olm says. In a 2024 study, scientists labelled bacteria with tiny, fluorescent green molecules and added them to tanks housing salmon and trout. "After a week, you see these microbes making their way into the fish brain, lighting the fish brain up green," Olm says, and curiously, "[the microbes] seemingly live there without huge consequences for these fish over their lifetime." In any case, the notion of fungi and other microbes getting into the brain in old age – either due to a weakening brain immune system or a worn-out blood brain barrier – is more plausible. "I think we've now reached that threshold where there's enough smoke around this hypothesis… it's worth spending money on figuring out if that is happening," Olm says. More like this:• What your snot can reveal about your health• Why the microbes that live on your skin matter• The mystery origins of Candida auris Interestingly, fungi might not need to enter the brain in order to influence it. In a 2022 study, immunologist Iliyan Iliev of Weill Cornell Medicine in the US and colleagues found that adding Candida albicans to the guts of mice made them more resilient to damage of their gut linings caused by bacterial infections or heavy antibiotic use. Strengthening the gut wall may be a defence mechanism by the body to prevent the fungus and other microbes from escaping the gut and infecting other tissues, Iliev says. But the big surprise came when the team observed the rodents' behaviour. Remarkably, fungi-colonised mice were much more likely to sniff, communicate and engage with other mice – meaning that exposure to the fungi appeared to have some sort of behavioural effect too. Based on other experiments, the scientists theorise that certain molecules released by the mice's immune cells enter the bloodstream and somehow stimulate certain nerve cells in the brain that are involved in behaviour. "It was very surprising to us," Iliev recalls. It's a mystery why, at least in mice, this crosstalk between gut fungi and the brain exists. Is it a coincidence that fungus-triggered immune signals affect the brain, or "is that actually deliberately done by the fungus to benefit its survival?" Iliev asks. Perhaps mammalian bodies somehow benefit from changing their behaviour in response to fungi, Iliev speculates. There's no evidence yet that this crosstalk between gut fungi and the brain happens in humans, but the possibility would be worth investigating, Olm says. In recent years, evidence has mounted that gut-dwelling bacteria may be able to send signals to the brain via the immune and nervous systems, or by producing substances associated with the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and relaxation. In principle, Olm says, "there's no reason to think that fungi aren't doing this as well". (Read more about how gut bacteria could be influencing the brain). Some scientists are even investigating whether fungi could be involved in mental disorders. Several studies have found differences in the makeup of gut fungi in people who suffer from depression or bipolar disorder. In women with schizophrenia, those who showed signs of exposure to the gut-dwelling Candida albicans tended to score lower on tests of memory and other cognitive abilities, according to a 2016 study by Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Emily Severance and her colleagues. She is exploring the possibility that Candida overgrowth – caused by stress or antibiotics, for instance – provokes an imbalance of gut microbes, altering the substances they produce in ways that make susceptible people more likely to develop schizophrenia. If true, it could allow doctors to treat schizophrenia symptoms by giving people probiotics that help reverse the overabundance of Candida – which would in any case be helpful, she says. But finding an association doesn't mean that the fungi cause schizophrenia. It could simply be that these patients are somehow more prone to high levels of Candida. So far "we can only come up with associations", says Severance. 'I think that that's typical for a field of study that is very exciting – but still very early on in the timeline.' Which of our fungal inhabitants – if any at all – are really influencing our brains is something scientists hope to learn in the coming years. "[Fungi are] definitely important," Drummond says, "but exactly how they're important, I think, is still being worked out." One thing is already clear: while bacteria have long been in the limelight, it may be time we also pay serious attention to the fungi quietly shaping our health from within. -- For trusted insights into better health and wellbeing rooted in science, sign up to the Health Fix newsletter, while The Essential List delivers a handpicked selection of features and insights. For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Morgan Wallen calls out 'side chicks' after Coldplay kiss cam CEO chaos
Morgan Wallen took a cheeky dig at audience members with 'side chicks' during his latest show - days after a CEO was caught cozying up to his colleague on a Coldplay concert Kiss Cam. Andrew Byron, CEO of the billion-dollar AI startup Astronomer, was broadcast on the big screen at Boston's Gillette Stadium with his arm around the company's HR chief Kristin Cabot during Coldplay's gig there on Tuesday night. They rapidly covered their faces, with Byron diving out of view and Cabot turning her back to the camera, but their reaction caught the attention of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who joked: 'Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy.' The clip went instantly viral and Byron was placed on leave this Friday before the company announced his resignation on Saturday. Public records suggest both Byron, 50, and Cabot, 56, are married - but that they live at different addresses to each of their spouses' registered abodes. As the awkward moment exploded across the Internet, Morgan, 32, appeared to make a sly reference to it at his own Friday night show in Glendale, Arizona. 'Anybody in here with their side chick or whatever, I think you're safe here,' he said in fan footage posted to TikTok, before quipping: 'I don't condone cheating…anymore.' The next morning, Astronomer issued a statement announcing that Byron had resigned from the billion-dollar company. 'As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,' the statement said. 'Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.' Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy will stay on as interim CEO. 'While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not. We're continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems.' Byron and Cabot were caught red-faced as the kiss-cam at a Coldplay concert in Boston panned to the CEO with his arms wrapped his subordinate on Tuesday. The pair immediately ducked and turned from the cameras after realizing their faces were on the big screen. Astronomer acknowledge the awkward situation in the statement announcing Byron's resignation. 'Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI,' the statement read. 'While awareness of our company may have changed over night our product and our work for our customers have not'. The couple have gained infamy since the moment went viral. Statement: Astronomer announced the CEO's resignation on Saturday following an internal investigation that put Byron and Cabot on leave on Friday At the time Coldplay front man Chris Martin, cracked a joke which stirred rumors over the couple's awkward reaction. 'Oh, look at these two! Oh, what? Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy,' Chris said to the crowd. Speculation of the suspected affair became the talk of the Internet, and Daily Mail confirmed that Cabot is in fact currently married to another CEO. Massachusetts property documents dated in January confirmed that Cabot is currently married to Andrew Cabot, the chief executive of Privateer Rum, a Massachusetts-based booze maker. It is unclear exactly when the pair tied the knot, but the documents confirm that Cabot was married at the time of selling a $1.8m property in Watertown, Mass, earlier this year. Privateer Rum's website lists Andrew Cabot as its CEO and COO of the company, and public documents show that he has been married at least twice before, in 1993 and 2014. Byron is also married, with his wife Megan Byron, removing his last name from her social media accounts shortly after the exchange with Chris Martin went viral.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
The Trump administration is making viruses great again
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He seems to have forgotten that statement the moment the words left his mouth, however. Not even a couple of weeks later Kennedy announced that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would stop recommending Covid-19 booster shots for healthy children and pregnant women. This was a highly unusual move, as the health secretary doesn't normally make unilateral changes to vaccine recommendations like this. While Kennedy seems to govern by vibes, actual medical experts, who rely on things like evidence and data, are deeply alarmed by the removal of the shots from officials' recommended immunization schedule. '[D]espite the change in recommendations from [health and human services], the science has not changed,' the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said in a statement. 'It is very clear that Covid-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability, and it can cause devastating consequences for families.' 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Instead people are more invested in finding out who Epstein's associates were than ever before and polls show most Americans believe the government is concealing information. Trump may want to look up the Barbra Streisand effect. The 25-year-old's father allegedly felt threatened because she helped support him financially. The poet and performance artist died of ovarian cancer. 'Whenever I leave this world, whether it's sixty years from now, I wouldn't want anyone to say I lost some battle,' Gibson once wrote. 'I'll be a winner that day.' Gibson was a winner this week, but the world has lost a force for good. Back in 2014, the Oscar-winning actor had surgery to remove 30 uterine fibroids– non-cancerous tumors that can cause severe pain and heavy menstrual bleeding. Black women are three times more likely to develop fibroids than white women. July is Fibroid Awareness Month and, on Tuesday, the actor helped introduce a US uterine health legislative package aimed at introducing better prevention and screening protocols and less invasive treatments. 'I hope to seek answers for the far too many women dealing with uterine fibroids,' Nyong'o said. 'We must reject the normalization of female pain.' 'We are deeply concerned about women's access to health care, especially maternal health care, in ICE detention,' the caucus wrote in a letter. They reference the case of a woman who delivered a stillborn baby after being detained in immigration custody and allegedly having medical care delayed. Sign up to The Week in Patriarchy Get Arwa Mahdawi's weekly recap of the most important stories on feminism and sexism and those fighting for equality after newsletter promotion The Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk writes about her 45 days in a south Louisiana processing facility. Someone needs to give that man contraceptive advice, but OK. In her new memoir, Southern says Tate strangled her in a hotel bed in 2018 and assaulted her. 'No one wants to be a victim, especially not when you come from my political background,' Southern wrote. 'I know exactly what's coming. I'll be crucified online. I'm not looking for sympathy, and I don't expect a victim trophy from any side. I'm publishing this simply because it's the truth and far too few people are telling the truth these days.' Tate, who has been accused of rape and bodily harm by multiple women, responded by accusing Southern of drumming up publicity for her memoir. Husam Masrouf, a poet from Gaza, has a surreal and haunting piece in Flaming Hydra about the lengths some starving Palestinian women are going to try to obtain nutritional supplements. You think the US is turning into a police state? I'm afraid things are not any better in the UK, where armed police may threaten to arrest you simply for peacefully holding a Palestinian flag. We live in an upside down world where accused war criminals like Benjamin Netanyahu are wined and dined by politicians, while protesting against the murder of more than 17,000 children is treated as some sort of crime. Turns out your canine companion may secretly be judging you for your reality TV habit. A new study has found that dogs engage meaningfully with the TV and have certain viewing preferences. I reckon my little chihuahua is a big fan of Game of Bones and RuPaw's Drag Race. Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist
