This is a new step forward for medical research. The care and research center specializing in the fight against cancer in Toulouse, Oncopole, has just made an important announcement, around its research project relating to a vaccine against ENT cancers. The establishment has just integrated the first patient as part of the second phase (of three) of the clinical study.
“With phase 1, an important step has been taken. The vaccine does what we expect it to do, patients respond well with a long-lasting immune response. Phase two must now determine, over the long term, that patients do not relapse,” commented to La Tribune Professor Jean-Pierre Delord, the general director of Oncopole and the doctor coordinating the clinical trial.
In total, 46 patients will benefit from this new therapy as part of this additional step, thanks to the support of ten centers and establishments which are participating in the clinical trial compared to four so far. “ We have 18 months to integrate all phase two patients », Comments the professor.
Complementary therapy
To carry out this project, the Toulouse establishment joined forces with the biotech Transgene, based in Alsace, to develop the care protocol including individualization of treatment. “ To develop this personalized approach per patient, we rely on a common framework then we adapt certain molecules for each patient, using artificial intelligence technology. », commented in February 2023 Hedi Ben Brahim, the general director of Transgene, in the columns of The gallery.
The vaccine against ENT cancers developed in Toulouse confirms its promises
In fact, this individualized vaccine, which only treats ENT (head and neck) cancers, is a complementary and only post-operative therapy. In the ranks of the Oncopole, we insist on the fact that this vaccine does not have a preventive role in order to avoid any false hope among affected patients.
“The vaccine can only be admitted to patients who need an operation. It is a post-operative vaccine, complementary to existing treatment. There are several injections to be given, once a month or once every month depending on the timing of the treatment protocol, for six months,” explains Professor Delord.
No relapse noted so far
Launched in 2021, the project made it possible to include 32 patients in phase one of the clinical study, with 16 vaccinated patients and as many unvaccinated patients, a third of whom were treated at the Oncopole in Toulouse. .
“Today, we now have more than a year of hindsight on vaccinated patients. We were looking for an immune response lasting more than six months with this treatment. We managed to avoid any relapse in the 18 months following the operation in all vaccinated patients. This is a very good thing because in this type of cancer the vast majority of relapses occur less than two years later,” comments the doctor.
To provide this immunity, the vaccine acts on the proteins of cancer cells, the antigens. These will then activate an immune response by waking up the T lymphocytes present in white blood cells, to fight these cancer cells. An innovative technology, but an approach far from being unique in the Pink City. The latter is full of startups that have been developing innovative approaches to immunotherapy for several years now.
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