April 25, 2017 (Medical News Today)
The researchers call their approach “minimalist nanovaccine.” It is a simple mixture of the tumor antigen (molecules that uniquely identify the cancer target) and a synthetic polymer nanoparticle.
The nanoparticles can transport the antigen directly to the lymph nodes to generate the primed T cells. Whereas conventional vaccines require the immune cells to collect the antigens in a “depot system” and then transport them.
Once the antigen reaches the lymph node, it must signal the immune response to use the antigen. Basically, it must stimulate the innate immunity that a human body normally has – stimulating the tumor specific T cells that kill cancer cells.
In essence, the nanovaccine is a new way to transport the antigen directly to the target in order to trigger the immune response.
The study is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Read all the details on this new approach at Medical News Today.
