Anti-cancer vaccine for veterinary medicine

An anti-cancer vaccine for animals has been developed in Novosibirsk

Tatiana Karmanova

Scientists in Novosibirsk have developed a vaccine for the treatment of breast cancer in animals, TASS reported project manager Evgeny Ryzhikov. The new drug will help the animal develop its own antibodies to the disease and give it several full years of life.

"Our vaccine is one of a number of so–called peptide vaccines: it is based not on a whole protein molecule, but on fragments of cancer cell proteins. This is a therapeutic vaccine – when injected into the body, it will produce antibodies that suppress the development of metastases, blocking the division of cancer cells, and the tumor no longer develops in the animal's body," he said.

The plans are to establish production

Scientists have already completed preclinical tests on laboratory animals – mice and rats, the effectiveness of the vaccine was noted in about 90% of cases, and its harmlessness was also confirmed. Currently, they have started clinical trials, cooperating with several veterinary clinics in the city. We plan to finish them in six months or a year and establish our own production. Ryzhikov did not specify how much the vaccine would cost, but noted that "the price will be quite affordable."

The idea to produce such a vaccine was born in contrast to the so-called targeted therapy, which is used for people. These are special drugs that act directly on the target cancer cell and minimally affect healthy organs, they are obtained using genetic engineering technologies: such therapy is extremely expensive and costs millions of rubles.

The drug produces antibodies

In fact, the vaccine is effective after surgery: as a rule, the tumor itself is removed, but it is impossible to deal with metastases surgically – they usually spread throughout the body.

"Chemotherapy is occasionally used for animals, but they tolerate it very hard, and the effect of it often leaves much to be desired. After surgery, three or four subcutaneous injections of the drug will ensure the preservation of antibodies in the body for six months to a year. During this time, the animal will be able to overcome the disease, and it will have several more years of full life," explained Ryzhikov. He added that if the tumor is small, it will be possible to do without surgery.

The most formidable disease

Breast cancer is diagnosed in about 80-90% of all animals with oncopathology. Scientists are ready to provide the whole of Russia with drugs in a small production.

"In fact, we are ready to produce up to 50 thousand doses of the vaccine per year, this amount is enough to provide almost the entire country with the vaccine – according to our calculations, it needs about 100 thousand doses per year," said Ryzhikov.

According to him, the scientists plan not to stop there and to engage in the manufacture of a similar vaccine for humans in the future.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  29.11.2016