A Vaccine for Cancer

ON MONDAY, WE INTRODUCED YOU TO CANCER SURVIVOR CHASE JOHNSON. SHE TOOK PART IN THE FIRST PHASE OF A CLINICAL TRIAL FOR A CANCER VACCINE. THE CLINICAL TRIALS ARE A JOINT EFFORT BETWEEN THE CLEVELAND CLINIC AND A MIX OF BIO SCIENCES, BIOTECH COMPANY THAT DEVELOPS THERAPIES AND VACCINES. I HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH DOCTOR AMIT KUMAR, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF AN EXTRA TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EFFORTS WELL UNDERWAY TO FIND A VACCINE FOR CANCER. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS? VERY PROMISING CANCER VACCINE AND HOW IT WORKS? >> YES, THE VACCINE IS DESIGNED TO NOT ONLY TREAT CANCER, BUT ALSO PREVENT CANCER IN WOMEN WHO'VE NEVER HAD CANCER BEFORE. IT SAID BASED ON A MOLECULAR MECHANISM THAT HAS NEVER BEEN TRIED BEFORE IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE. WE'VE IDENTIFIED PROTEIN OR MERELY IS PRODUCED IN WOMEN'S MAMMARY GLANDS WHEN SHE IS ABOUT TO LOT HATE. SO SHE IS. YEAH, I GET THAT TO GIVE BIRTH THE PROTEIN IS PRODUCED IN THE MAMMARY GLANDS AND ENABLES LOT HAITIANS OF THAT. THE MOTHER CAN FEED THE INCIDENT AFTER SHE STOPPED BREASTFEEDING. THE PROTEIN DISAPPEARS COMES BACK AGAIN WHEN SHE HAS ANOTHER BABY AND MOTHER BABY, BUT EVENTUALLY AFTER SHE'S NO LONGER GOING TO HAVE CHILDREN IN MOST TO WOMEN, THE PROTEIN DISAPPEARS AND IS NEVER SEEN AGAIN. BUT IN THE ONE OUT OF 8 WOMEN THAT DEVELOP CANCER AND MULTIPLE TYPES. AND EVEN THOUGH THIS TRIAL WAS INITIALLY FOCUSED ON TRIPLE NEGATIVE CANCER. BUT WE ARE EVENTUALLY GOING TO FOCUS ON ALL TYPES OF CANCER. SO THAT ONE OUT OF 8 WOMEN THAT COULD GET CANCER, MANY OF THEIR CELLS ARE PRODUCING THAT PROTEIN AGAIN. SO THE IDEA HERE AND THIS WAS DEVELOPED AT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC 2 DECADES AGO BY A BRILLIANT IMMUNOLOGIST. AND THE IDEA HERE WAS THAT WE WOULD VACCINATE WOMEN AFTER THEY'RE NO LONGER GOING TO HAVE CHILDREN AND TEACH THE IMMUNE SYSTEMS TO DESTROY ANY CELL MAKING THAT PROTEIN. AND AT THAT AGE AND THESE CELLS THAT ARE MAKING THAT PROVE PROTEIN. OUR CANCER CELLS. SO IF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM HAS BEEN PROPERLY TRAINED THROUGH VACCINATION AS SOON AS THOSE CANCER CELLS ARISE AT THE EARLY STAGE, A TUMOR FORMATION, THE 2 CELLS FOR SALES, 8 CELL STAGE. THE MEAN SYSTEM WILL DESTROY THOSE CANCER CELLS SO THEY NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO BECOME A LARGE MULTI TRULY IN CELL MASK THAT CAN THEN THE SCENE ON A MAMMOGRAM AND BECOMES MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH. SO THAT'S THE VISION FOR THE PROTEIN FOR THE VACCINE. AND THE GOAL HERE IS TO INITIALLY. GET IT APPROVED FOR TREATMENT OF CANCER AND THEN LONG TERM FOR PRESSEL ACCESS, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE FEEL WILL CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT CANCER. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE WE CAN GIVE THIS VACCINE TO EVERYONE WHO'S CONCERNED ABOUT CANCER AND PREVENT IT FROM EVER HAPPENING. >> CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH PHASE ONE? WHAT OCCURRED IN PHASE ONE OF THIS TRIAL. >> YEAH. AND PHASE ONE. WE WERE PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON SAFETY IN AND THAT TO THE FACT THAT THE VACCINE IS SAFE AND ALSO TO SEE IF THE IMMUNE SYSTEMS OF THE PATIENTS. WE'RE REACTING TO THE VACCINE. AND SO WE MONITORED, OF COURSE, ALL LABORATORY VALUES AND WHAT NOT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE VACCINE WAS SAFE AND THEN WE LOOKED AT THEIR WHITE BLOOD CELLS TO SEE IF WE WERE TRAINING THEM APPROPRIATELY TO ATTACK CANCER CELLS. AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT I'M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE SHOW THAT THE VACCINE WAS ROCK SOLID, SAFE. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GOING TO EVENTUALLY GIVE THIS THAT'S SEEN TOO MILLIONS CHAIR HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF WOMEN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THEN YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ABSOLUTELY SAFE. THE ONLY SIDE EFFECT THAT PEOPLE HAD WAS PRIMARILY JUST IRRITATION AT THE INJECTION SITE. AND THEN THE SECOND GOAL WAS TO DETERMINE IMMUNE RESPONSE. WE WANTED TO SEE IF THEY'RE WHITE BLOOD CELLS WERE REACTING WITH THE VACCINE AND WE WERE BEING PROPERLY TRAINED. AND WE SAW ABOUT 3 QUARTERS OF THE WOMEN HAVE A VERY, VERY ROBUST AND POTENT IMMUNE RESPONSE WITH THE REMAINING 25% OF THE WOMEN HAVING A LITTLE BIT MORE MODEST IMMUNE RESPONSE. SO WE'RE INCREDIBLY PLEASED AND THRILLED THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE BOTH OF THESE IN PHASE ONE. AND THAT ENABLED US TO GO START THE PLANNING PROCESS FOR FACE TO. >> FACE TO THAT BEGINS THIS YEAR. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT'S INVOLVED IN FACE TO AND HOW MANY PARTICIPANTS DO YOU EXPECT? >> YEAH, FACE TO WHICH WE HOPE TO GET THE BEGINNING ABOUT A YEAR IS GOING TO BE A LARGER TRIAL IN PHASE ONE. WE HAD A ALL PATIENTS WERE AT A SINGLE SITE WHICH IS AT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC THEY WERE ALL TREATED THE CLEVELAND CLINIC IN PHASE AND IT WAS TOTAL OF 35 WOMEN IN THAT TRIAL PHASE 2 WILL BE A LARGER NUMBER SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 100 TO 200 WOMEN. AND WE WILL DO THAT STUDY AT MULTIPLE SITES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE IN VIRTUALLY ALL MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE TRIAL IF THEY CHOOSE TO DO SO. >> THE DOCTOR, YOU TOLD ME YOU'VE PERSONALLY BEEN TOUCHED BY CANCER. YOU HAVE WORKED ON RESEARCH FOR THE BETTER PART OF 30 YEARS. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THESE VERY PROMISING FINDINGS? >> YEAH, IT'S A I THINK I'M NOT UNIQUE IN THAT. VIRTUALLY EVERYONE. IN THE UNITED STATES AND PROBABLY THE WORLD HE'S HAD TO DEAL WITH FAMILY OR LOVED ONE. IT'S HAD CANCER I'M PAT. WE HAVE CANCER IN MY FAMILY. I-2 DAUGHTERS. THAT I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO VACCINATE IN A IN THAT PREVENT CANCER IN FOR THEM. AND IT. BUT, YOU KNOW, IF I LOOK BACK AT THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE LAST 30 YEARS OF RESEARCH IN WE'VE MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS. NOT ONLY WITH THE BEES, BUT PRIMARILY WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW OUR IMMUNE SYSTEMS WORK AND THAT HAS SPAWNED A WHOLE FIELD OF IMMUNOTHERAPY, WHICH THIS VACCINE IS A PART OF. AND I BELIEVE WE'RE ON THE VERGE OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. TO PREVENT CANCER TO PREVENT ALL TYPES OF CANCER. INITIALLY STARTING WITH CANCER, WE'VE DONE THAT FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES. YOU CAN YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY, MANY INFECTIOUS DISEASES THAT WORK THE SCOURGE OF HUMANITY FOR HAVE FOR MILLENNIA LIKE POLIO OR SMALLPOX. BUT WE'VE ELIMINATED THOSE DISEASES WITH IT AT VERY EFFECTIVE VACCINES. WE FEEL THAT WE CAN DO THAT WITH CANCER AS WELL. STARTING WITH CANCER. BUT IF WE CAN DO TO HAVE CANCER, THERE'S NO REASON WHY WE COULDN'T DO THAT WITH OTHER TYPES OF CANCER AS WELL. >> ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH US TODAY? THIS IS SO EXCITING. >> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WE AS SCIENTISTS AND MET IT. MEDICAL RESEARCHERS GET A LOT OF THE CREDIT THAT THE CREDIT SHOULD REALLY GO TO THE PATIENTS WHO ALLOW US TO. TESS THESE NEW THERAPIES AND VACCINES ON THEM. AND I ALSO WANT INDICATE THAT A TRIAL INITIALLY AT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC. HAD A DISPERSE A GROUP OF WOMEN. AND WE DIDN'T HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF DIVERSITY WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IN THE FACE TO TRIAL PATIENTS WITH A BROADER BEING DIVERSITY PROFILE. >> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY AND SHARING THIS REALLY EXCITING AND SUCH PROMISING NEWS. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING US.