INDIANAPOLIS — One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and thousands will die every year, including Hoosiers, according to the American Cancer Society.
However, a groundbreaking vaccine under development is making major strides to target the most aggressive form of the disease for the first time.
“One day, it might be possible to eliminate breast cancer as a disease,” said Dr. Amit Kumar, the Chairman & CEO of Anixa Biosciences, who helped develop the vaccine.
After decades of research, the Cleveland Clinic joined Anixa Biosciences to develop a vaccine that will target triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and deadliest form of the disease.
“The phase one study is almost complete, and we are planning to begin the phase two study. So far, the data looks incredibly promising, better,” said Dr. Kumar.
The trial got approval from the FDA in 2021 to test on people.
“What we discovered is that in women who get breast cancer, specifically triple-negative breast cancer, as well as other types of breast cancer, those cancer cells are making that [lactation] protein again,” said Dr. Kumar. “So, the idea here is that we would vaccinate women and teach their immune systems to destroy cells making that protein."
So far, the research is still an early-stage trial, however, if it gets the final approval Dr. Kumar told WRTV it would be the first of its kind.
“This is a very different approach. We are trying to prevent the cancer from ever occurring," said Dr. Kumar.
For Lisa Hayes, this kind of research could have been a game changer when she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer 17 years ago.
“It provides hope,” Hayes told WRTV. “To think that you can go get a vaccine that will prevent breast cancer or will prevent a recurrence, that would be huge,”
“The only treatment that we have for it is chemotherapy, which has a fair amount of side effects. And we're looking for treatments that are just as effective,” added Dr. Carla Fisher.
Fisher is the Division Chief of Breast Surgery at the IU School of Medicine which is also working to develop a vaccine for the disease.
According to the American Cancer Society, triple-negative breast cancer only accounts for 10-15% of all breast cancers but makes up a high percentage of deaths.
The disease is twice as likely to occur in black women.
Hayes is the Executive Director of Pink-4-Ever organization to help end these disparities.
“We are involved in research projects with different researchers at universities and medical facilities,” Hayes explained. “We are supportive of research, and we're being left behind by not participating.”
Dr. Kumar told WRTV that one of the challenges in phase one of the trials was getting a diverse group of women to participate which would help produce better results.
Around two dozen women with and without the disease participated in the first phase.
If approved by the FDA, the vaccine will enter its second stage of the trial this year.
After that, they expect to expand testing across the country and hope to have Hoosiers participate.
If all goes well, Dr. Kumar told WRTV they hope to have this vaccine available to women across the world in the next three to four years.
They plan to eventually have a vaccine for all forms of breast cancer.
“This will completely change healthcare,” he explained. “It'll be like the regional smallpox vaccine that opened up the world for infectious disease vaccines.”
