They found that the microproteins were present exclusively in liver cancer.

A study conducted by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (Barcelona), with the participation of researchers from CIMA (University of Navarra) and Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona), has revealed the existence of microproteins present almost exclusively in hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer. These structures, which seem to be found in a significant percentage of patients, could be used to develop specific vaccines against this type of tumor. The results were published in the prestigious scientific journal Science Advances (Camarena et al., “Microproteins encoded by non-canonical ORFs are the main source of tumor-specific antigens in a meta-cohort of liver cancer patients”).

Ramon Salazar, head of the medical oncology service at the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Hospitalet (ICO), who was not involved in the study but had access to it before its publication, appreciates that it is a “high-quality” work that combines all the “latest-generation technologies to test a new concept that could be very relevant from a clinical point of view.”

In a statement to the Science Media Center of Spain, Salazar believes that the most important thing is the discovery that some proteins are “tumour specific and can stimulate the immune response”. Therefore, they can be used for the mass production of generic vaccines without the need to individualize each patient, which could mean great progress,” he explains.

Regarding the limitations of this study, Ramon Salazar cautions that “there is still no clinical experience” to confirm its results. “It’s a very attractive concept, but one of the problems with hepatocellular carcinoma and other tumors is that the system for presenting proteins to the immune system (the major histocompatibility system) is not up to the task, which is necessary for vaccines to be effective,” he concludes.