Nanotechnology Based Vaccine Developed Provides Efficient, Targeted, and Needle-Free Protection

The immune response generated by delivering lipid nanocapsules loaded with anti-cancer antigens (left) is compared to the same response generated by traditional soluble vaccines (right). Blue stain marks nuclei of cells in the tissue. Lung tissue sections immunized with the lipid nanocapsule vaccine show sustained retention of nanocapsule-loaded antigens (red) in the tissue near antigen-presenting cells (green). This retention is not discernible in the lung tissue immunized with the soluble vaccine. Scale bars 50 µm.
[Credit: Adrienne V. Li, James J. Moon, Darrell J. Irvine]

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a nanoparticle that can be used as an efficient and targeted drug delivery system for vaccines. The development of the nanoparticle addresses the challenge of dispensing a vaccine through the lungs via an aerosol spray without activating an immune response that neutralizes it.

Vaccines that are dispensed through mucosal points of entry like the nasal cavities have certain advantages such as not requiring a needle, specially during outbreaks where dispensing medication through an aerosol spray is faster, safer, and more econmical.

Mucosal vaccines are a bit challenging since the vaccine has to go through the body's mucosal barrier. This barrier of mucus prevents foreign particals from getting into the body. This recently developed nanocapsule can go through this barrier and go directly to the lungs.

The vaccine can survive in the lungs long enough for it to be delivered to T-cells. T-cells (T lymphocites) are part of the immune system and assist the body in fighting diseases or getting rid of harmful substances. Once in the T-cells, the vaccine gets activated to form a memory of the vaccine particles so it will be primed to respond again during an infection.

They found that immune cells, including memory CD8+ T cells, increased not only in the lungs, but also at distant sites like the intestine, and blood and spleen. This widespread immune response was only detected in mice given the vaccine via the lung route, but not the skin route, indicating that the administration site is an important factor for non-live vaccines.

New Vaccines Based on Stomatostatin To Promote Weight Loss

Somatostatin is a 14-amino acid peptide that inhibits pituitary growth hormone release. It is also called somatotropin release-inhibiting factor (SRIF).

Peptide hormones are a class of peptides (short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds) that are secreted into the blood stream and have endocrine functions in living animals.

Somatostatin is expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems, the gut, and other organs. SRIF can also inhibit the release of thyroid stimutalting hormones, prolactin, insulin, and glucagon. It also acts as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator.

Somatostatin was used to test the therapeutic effects of novel vaccines for reducing weight gain and increasing weight loss in diet induced obesity (DIO) model.

New vaccines promote weight loss

A new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal, Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, assesses the effectiveness of two somatostatin vaccinations, JH17 and JH18, in reducing weight gain and increasing weight loss in mice.

Obesity and obesity-related disease is a growing health issue worldwide. Somatostatin, a peptide hormone, inhibits the action of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), both of which increase metabolism and result in weight loss. Vaccination with modified somatostatin causes the body to generate antibodies to somatostatin, effectively removing this inhibition without directly interfering with the growth hormones and subsequently increasing energy expenditure and weight loss.

Brain Cancer Vaccine, Heat Shock Protein Peptide Complex 96 (HSPPC-96) , Against Glioblastoma Multiforme Proves Effective

A glioma is a tumor that starts in the brain or the spine. The most common place a glioma starts is the brain. Gliomas are categorized into grades. From grade I (least advanced disease — best prognosis) to grade IV (most advanced disease — worst prognosis). A grade IV glioma is called Glioblastoma multiforme and it is the most aggressive.

Unfortunately, grade 4 gliomas are the most common with human.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a group of tumors that arises from the glia. The glia are non-neuronal cells that maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and provide support and protection for neurons in the brain_ within the central nervous system (CNS).

Patients with GBM die of their disease within 1 year and there is no long term survival of the disease. Because of this, scientists and doctors have focused a lot of time and effort in combating GBM. They have studied the disease and hopefully may find an effective cure and therapy.

Brain cancer vaccine proves effective

With help of patient groups, phase 2 clinical trial paves way for testing therapy that combines cancer vaccine with the drug Avastin

A new brain cancer vaccine called HSPPC-96 or Heat Shock Protein Peptide Complex 96, tailored to individual patients by using material from their own tumors has proven effective in a multicenter phase 2 clinical trial at extending their lives by several months or longer. The patients suffered from recurrent glioblastoma multiforme—which kills thousands of Americans every year.

Vaccine to Treat Lung Cancer Being Developed

Researchers are developing a vaccine that can treat the most common type of lung cancer. The vaccine, called TG4010 is a modified version of the pox virus. The virus is distantly related to the smallpox virus strain.

Adding the vaccine to 148 patients undergoing chemotherapy showed that the cancer cells progression has slowed down. The results are still being studied since there is no definite conclusion that it helps in recovery. The survival rate of these patients have appeared to be marginal. The difference on the average rate of survival of patients treated with the vaccine against those who haven't is only 0.4 months (10.7 months against 10.3 months).

Vaccines for cancers are developed by using the same principles as that of vaccines against infection. It uses the body's immune system to attack cancer cell tumors. When a cell becomes cancerous and starts continuously dividing, it starts to look different. The immune system is then taught and trained to identify these cells by the proteins on the surface of these cells and attack them.

Video: Dr. John Sampson of Duke University Explains What a Cancer Vaccine Is:

That is how they developed TG4010.

Patients who volunteered for the study underwent chemotherapy and 50% of them were infected with the TG4010 virus. After 6 months, the patients who were vaccinated appeared more stable than the others who weren't. As noted, the survival rate is still marginal compared to the standard average.

Prof Peter Johnson, chief clinician at Cancer Research UK, said: "There's a lot of interest in harnessing the power of the immune system to treat cancer. This early-stage study shows that combining a vaccine with chemotherapy is possible, and may have some benefits for some people with lung cancer.But this study leaves a lot of unanswered questions - further research is needed to see whether the vaccine will actually improve survival for lung cancer patients."

Scientists are constantly looking for a cure for cancer. Outside of vaccines, they are also researching embryonic stem cells. Currently, stem cell research is under fire due to moral issues of procuring them. This may change as scientists are now looking into cloning a human embryo that could produce stem cells.

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