New Life Forms to Eradicate Cancer Affecting Women

Instead of using theusual cancer-fighting modalities, surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation,researchers from a drug development company called Advaxis, have embarked on a novel approach to fighting cancer: Engaging the immune system to
attack cancer in the same the way it would a flu vaccine, by creating new
life forms.

Dr. Vafa Shahabi, Advaxis' Director of Research and Development,
reports that because the human immune system is not designed to fight
cancer on its own, she and her colleagues are trying to harness its power
through a new kind of life form: specifically a family of vaccines, which
they call Lovaxin. The vaccines are comprised of new strains of bacteria
created in Advaxis' laboratory that are programmed to kill off specific
cancers.

The Key: A Microbe Found in Dairy Products

Central to this startling discovery is the microbe Listeria
monocytogenes, a common bacterium found in milk, cheese and other dairy
products. This microorganism apparently aids in fighting cancer by
activating the body's own killer (cytotoxic T) cells to elicit a stronger
than normal immune response to the presence of cancer cells. The vaccines
"teach" the immune system to mount a specialized, targeted response that is
lethal to cancer.

When Listeria is introduced in the body, it has a powerful, direct
stimulatory effect on the activities of tumor-killing T cells. "Essentially
the modified Listeria vaccines harness the power of the immune system
against this infectious agent," explains Dr. Shabahi, "and then directs it
to successfully attack cancer cells. The bacterium in effect then becomes a
cancer-fighting 'Trojan horse,' with the enemy tucked inside."

For breast cancer, Dr. Shababi's team fused Listeria with a tumor-
associated protein, HER-2/Neu, to immune cells, to create a vaccine called
Lovaxin B. What these cells do is enlist killer T cells to seek and destroy
tumor cells that over-express the HER-2/Neu molecule. This is significant
because HER-2/Neu is over- expressed in 20%- 40% of all breast cancers.

As Dr. Shababi explains: "We not only created a new breast cancer
vaccine, but also have a new life form, since the modified Listeria becomes
a new strain, not seen in nature. In effect, it becomes a cancer fighting
"superbug" capable of treating breast cancer in patients whose tumors
express the HER-X/Neu protein." Advaxis has already created several strains
for potential use in future vaccines to treat other cancers. The company is
also currently testing its cervical cancer vaccine, Lovaxin C, in phase
I/II trials.-Advaxis, Inc.