The first time in Thailand-ASEAN that there has been a clinical trial of a personalized cancer vaccine since 60 as a cure vaccine. Together with drugs to help enhance the immune system to increase the efficiency of the treatment even further, the target is set for another 4 years if the test results confirm the efficacy, will start opening the service in Chula Hospital. and developing anti-cancer drugs in parallel It will help save costs and treat appropriately for each individual person.
From the 7th Chula the Impact Symposium on “Individual Cancer Vaccine Advances Innovation of Hope for Thai Society” which Chulalongkorn University and the Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University organized To present the latest progress in vaccine cancer treatment innovations by the Center of Excellence in Cancer Immunotherapy Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University and Chulalongkorn Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society on February 10 in the past
Prof. Dr. Bundit Eua-arporn, President of Chulalongkorn University, said that Chulalongkorn University has set a strategy to be a leading innovative university that focuses on creating knowledge and products from research as well as to create graduates who are innovators To be a creative leader in Thai society in the present and the future Connecting with Thai people and the world community to drive Chulalongkorn It is a national university that has stepped up to be fully international.
Chulalongkorn University Medical Program Developing cancer immunotherapy research It is one of the large research projects of Chulalongkorn University. It is a collaboration between many faculties, institutes, and Chulalongkorn Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, supported by Chula’s 2nd Century Fund, helping drive Chula’s research to leapfrog out of the research trap behind foreign countries. The important thing is that it is a research that can be applied to real results. have a positive impact on society This research has been supported by donations from many people. Helping to reduce public health problems and the aging society that currently has a large number of cancer patients.
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Chanchai Sitthiphan, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University And the director of Chulalongkorn Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, said that the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and Chulalongkorn Hospital It is committed to solving important public health problems of the country. Especially cancer is the number one cause of death among Thai people. Infrastructure has been built to support and transfer research to clinical trials as quickly as possible. This has led to the expansion of service limits and adequate patient support. Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University Very high capital is required. Therefore, there has been a project to request support for cancer treatment research. which has been continuously supported by the private sector and the public
“Cancer is the most important public health problem in Thailand. From statistics, there are at least 100,000 deaths from cancer per year. and there are more and more patients Center of Excellence in Cancer Immunotherapy Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University has conducted a comprehensive research study on cancer. from diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as well as follow-up care following the disease The most important thing is prevention and early diagnosis. If found in the early There is a chance that it can be cured.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wirot Sriulanpong, M.D. Head of Center of Excellence for Comprehensive Cancer Medicine Chulalongkorn Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, said that at present, there are 3 main approaches to cancer drug treatment, namely chemotherapy, which is a treatment that is not expensive. Moderately effective and can have many side effects. Drugs are targeted as drugs that are specific to cancer mutations. Specific efficacy in cases where the mutation is matched to the drug. The side effects are usually mild compared to chemotherapy. and immunotherapy This includes both antibody drug therapy and cell therapy. Both of these approaches are approved for use in treating patients. not specific to cancer type Most have few side effects.
Currently, Chulalongkorn Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University and the Center of Excellence in Cancer Immunotherapy. There has been research and development of cancer treatment with immunotherapy. Focusing on the development of treatment in 3 methods: cancer cell therapy personalized cancer vaccine and anti-cancer antibody drugs (Anti-cancer drugs), which the three immunotherapy methods have different strengths. can be used together And can be used in conjunction with other cancer treatment methods to increase the efficiency of treatment.
“Cancer is a disorder of cells in the body. Currently, it is treated by surgery, radiation and drug therapy. Including research and development focusing on treatment that is specific to the individual to be more accurate. At present, immunotherapy is a new innovation at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, in the research process in cancer patients. Future goals will be further extensive testing,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wirot said.
Dr. Trairak Phisitkul, Head of Center of Excellence for Systems Biology Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University revealed that the project to develop a cancer vaccine for individuals that The research team has been developing a personalized cancer vaccine since 2017, through its phase I clinical trials for volunteers since January 2021, the first clinical trial in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
The manufacture of this personalized vaccine requires information on the mutations detected in that patient. to induce a specific immune response once morest cancer mutations This is because each patient’s cancer has most of the mutations that are different. It is therefore necessary to produce one vaccine at a time to provide specific and effective immunizations once morest cancer. in providing individualized cancer vaccines It starts with taking a cancerous biopsy from a patient to decode the genetic code. to detect mutations found only in cancer biopsies which are not found in normal cells of the body and used the mutation data to produce small fragments of mutant cancer proteins. that has only mutation data but cannot cause disease without injecting cancer cells into the body in any way
following vaccination The white blood cells antigen presenting cells eat fragments of the mutated protein they produce. and stimulate T-cell lymphocytes to recognize cancer mutations more specifically Therefore, this vaccine is “Cancer Vaccines It’s not a cancer vaccine abroad, like at Harvard University. Studies have shown that personalized cancer vaccines are combined with antibody drugs that enhance immune function. can increase the efficiency of treatment
“Individual vaccination If Thailand can do it by itself will get both a lower price and high personalization cause greater accessibility to this vaccine innovation It can reduce the cost of importing from abroad by more than half of the current price,” said Dr. Trairak.
One year ago, the team tested a personalized cancer vaccine on four people with stage IV cancer, three with melanoma and one with kidney cancer. that vaccinations are safe Found few side effects, such as pain at the injection site. No serious side effects were found. And three weeks following vaccination, the immune responses in all four patients showed marked improvement. and it is an immune response that is specific to the mutation fragment of that cancer patient.
The team also monitored the pathological response in one patient, assessing the distribution of T cell lymphocytes in cancer biopsies. It was found that there was a clear change. before vaccination White blood cells were detected mainly around the periphery of the tumor. After vaccination, white blood cells were changed. respond positively has spread into more cancerous biopsies This patient is currently stable following receiving cancer vaccine treatment. and monitored for 9 months
Dr. Trairak Revealing the goals for the next 4 years that If the efficacy of the vaccine is proven The research team will move into the next phase of clinical testing. It started to open at Chulalongkorn Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, when research can prove its efficacy and safety. will proceed with the registration meanwhile Center of Excellence in Cancer Immunotherapy Has researched and developed antibody drugs to treat cancer. (anticancer drugs) parallel to each other, currently in the production process in the factory It will begin animal testing in 2022 and clinical trials in cancer patients in 2023. If the development of a personalized cancer vaccine and antibody drugs were successful. Will be able to use both treatment methods concurrently. to improve the efficiency of cancer treatment and affect the price at which patients have access to treatment.
In this regard, Chulalongkorn Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society has built a special clean room for the production of more personalized cancer cells and vaccines in the new research integration building together with the medical building. which focuses on comprehensive cancer patient care, together to form the “Integrated Cancer Research and Treatment Center of Chulalongkorn Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society”, which is expected to be completed in February 2024.
