A prostate cancer vaccine - Dr. Drake's work may make this possible!
A prostate cancer vaccine - Dr. Drake's work may make this possible!
Imagine a vaccine that could treat and someday cure prostate cancer - or even other forms of cancer . . .
Studies are under way, and despite decades of hurdles and setbacks, the possibility of such a vaccine shows more promise today than ever. One of the leading innovators -- Dr. Charles Drake of Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore -- credits the The One-in-Six Fund, an Akron Community Foundation Fund for giving his vaccine project critical funding at a time when his approach had yet to attract grants from large sources such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
"Sometimes smaller foundations think they are not big players but that is completely wrong in this case," says Dr. Drake. "It's very difficult to find funding for more innovative approaches. One-in-Six made the initial investment that then led to other things." The One-in-Six investment is paying off.
Now Dr. Drake's work on a prostate cancer vaccine is gaining international attention in scholarly publications such Cancer Cell and Cancer Research. And a new clinical trial is just beginning - with funding from the Johns Hopkins Brady Department of Urology.
In a trial that is just starting, the vaccine will be tested on those with earlier-stage prostate cancer.
Dr. Drake will study 32 men who will be vaccinated prior to surgery. In addition, the participants will receive hormonal therapy and chemotherapy in doses low enough to avoid most side effects.
"We expect that they will make new antibodies against the cancer and we will be able to measure that," Dr. Drake explains. "We will also be measuring PSA."
The goal of the trial is to see if the combination of treatment activates the immune cells that kill tumor cells. The study is expected to continue over two years.
Adding to the promise, Dr. Drake reports that such a vaccine approach could be replicable in treating many other forms of cancer.
The big question: Could a vaccine someday eliminate the threat of cancer as it did polio?
While that would be many years away, Dr. Drake remains hopeful.