Medicine is already testing vaccines that can cure cancer or Alzheimer’s disease in 10 years.

Next medical revolution This can go hand in hand with vaccines. Immunization not only helped the world survive its most difficult phase pandemic – although Covid is still among us – but “in the not too distant future” they could be used to “treat non-communicable diseases” such as Alzheimer’s disease or Cancer.

“We are facing a paradigm shift: they will therapeutic vaccines, that they cure as soon as the diagnosis is made, and do not just prevent diseases,” explains Fernando Fariñas, director of the Institute of Clinical Immunology and Infectious Diseases. The specialist was one of the speakers at a conference on new vaccine options at the 12th Congress of the Spanish Association of Vaccinologists (AEV), which is taking place these days in Malaga.

Currently there are more 300 clinical studies around the world that are researching “curative” vaccines, and some of them against lung cancer and melanoma are being carried out in Spain.

The mechanism of action of each vaccine is different depending on the disease, but basically it is aimed at activating the immune system so that it recognizes the changes.

He mechanism of action

Each study is different depending on the disease, but basically it is aimed at activating the immune system so that it recognizes cancer cells or to act correctly against dementia when it has been noticed that the immune system is reacting abnormally. In Alzheimer’s disease, the goal is to reduce the accumulation of amyloid protein in the brain, which is the fundamental basis of this pathology.

A decade later

Fariñas warns in a conversation with EL PERIÓDICO that one must “be carefulbecause many of these investigations “will fade into the background”, but, in his opinion, a “significant percentage” will yield resultsalthough not before 2030.

For his part, David Moreno, director of the Andalusian Vaccination Plan and co-chair of the congress organizing committee, emphasizes that “although some vaccines have announced results by 2030, it may take longer before they are developed and reach the population. , around a decade or more but 15 or 20 years ago this was unthinkable and things are coming“

The most cutting-edge research is focused on three areas: vaccines against certain types of cancer, and neurological and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

The most advanced research focuses on three fields non-infectious pathologies: vaccines against certain species Cancer; to fight diseases neurological such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or dementia with Lewy bodies, or against autoimmune diseases such as sclerosis some. But there are also vaccine trials against hypertensionsmoking or addiction.

Cancer

However, the most advanced work occurs in the area Cancer. In particular, there is a vaccine against the tumor. lung which has already passed the safety stage and its effectiveness is being assessed. If it passes this stage, it will be tested on humans in the clinical phase. Immunization against other diseases is slower, but the most notable are vaccinations against multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

One of the turning points on the road to “therapeutic” vaccines was “messenger RNA” technology, which was successfully tested against Covid.

Moreno explains that one of the “turning points” on the path to “therapeutic” vaccines was technology.messenger RNA‘, which has been successfully tested against covid. “There were doubts before, but the pandemic confirmed that this is so. safe and aroused more interest and funding,” the specialist points out. The technique is to use genetic material which, after injection, sends information to cells so that they produce a protein that awakens an immune response to the disease.

Likewise, another innovation that is paving the way for a paradigm shift is adjuvantsa molecule that attaches to an antigen and stimulates the immune system, so the response is more intense in people with weakened immune systems. It is already used in vaccines against influenza and herpes zoster.

Individual vaccines

Messenger RNA and other technologies also open the door to creating personalized vaccines. “There are tumors that share a common type of protein that can be used to create vaccines for that tumor type, but there are patients that express different proteins that do not appear in other patients, and we are looking at creating specific vaccines to target them.” This tumor is personalized,” says Fariñas.

Moreover, one of the great advantages of vaccines is that they only target altered cells, so they less aggressive than traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, which attacks “good” and “bad” cells.

Combination therapy

Ongoing research also shows that they are more effective when used in combination with immunotherapya treatment that is already used against several types of cancer, especially with so-called monoclonal antibodies.

“For example,” says Fariñas, “melanoma immunotherapy alone has significant efficacy, but when combined with a messenger RNA vaccine, protection is significantly increased, and so the philosophy is to use both.” combined systems“

It is still difficult to imagine how these therapeutic vaccines will be administered. They will most likely be used after the disease has been eliminated. diagnosedbut vaccines are a powerful tool public health and perhaps in the more distant future one could consider administering it to a specific population group to prevent a specific disease. “In this case, everything will depend on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, as well as its price and the ease of its production and use,” Moreno warns.