Cancer vaccines: What’s ahead in 2025
Nanotechnology promises new breakthroughs in cancer vaccines and treatment strategies
The fight against cancer is leveling up. Researchers are tapping into our body’s own defense system — our immune system — as a powerful ally.
Enter nanodrug delivery systems (NDDS), the superheroes of modern medicine, inspired by the triumphs of vaccines like those for smallpox, polio, measles and COVID-19.
What’s a nanovaccine?
It turns out nanovaccines are tiny powerhouses — nanoparticles designed to supercharge the immune system to target and destroy cancer.
They merge traditional vaccine tech with cutting-edge nanoscience, offering superior tumour-targeting precision and long-lasting immune protection.
While existing cancer vaccines have made strides, issues like immune system "burnout" (losing their ability to effectively kill cancer cells) — or T-cell exhaustion — remain a hurdle.
With T cells too drained to fight cancer effectively, nanovaccines could swoop in, reinvigorating these cells and changing the game in cancer therapy.
It helps by shielding antigens (disease-busting agents), improving delivery to immune cells, and controlling antigen release, making vaccines more effective.
Game-changer alert
Nanovaccines could be the MVPs of cancer treatment, and here’s why: traditional cancer vaccines often struggle to fire up the immune system effectively.
Enter nanovaccines, armed with nanotechnology superpowers that turbocharge the delivery of cancer “antigens” to immune cells.
Rockstars of cancer innovation
Nanovaccines are the new rockstars of cancer innovation — think cancer-fighting jabs 2.0.
A study in Biomaterials from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Yeungnam University calls these vaccines “promising” thanks to their adaptability and game-changing potential in immunotherapy.
Here's why it matters, going forward:
They build on decades of vaccine breakthroughs.
They tackle challenges like immunosuppression and weak immune responses.
Nanotechnology gives them a precision boost to outsmart tumours: Compared to conventional vaccines, nanovaccines, due to their special material coupling, can administer the antigens to more appropriate locations.
The tiny size and surface modifications of nanoparticles enable them to concentrate more readily in immune organs such as lymph nodes and spleen
This allows them to efficiently deliver antigens and adjuvants to target cells, enhancing the vaccine’s specificity and ensuring a stronger immune response.
Cancer nanovaccines can be designed to respond to specific physiological conditions (e.g., pH, enzymes) in different physiological environments
This enables a more controlled drug release, while protecting antigens and adjuvants from degradation by internal and external environments, thus improving vaccine stability and therapeutic efficacy.
Additionally, cancer nanovaccines can be used in conjunction with other therapeutic modalities, such as photothermal therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), to achieve improved treatment outcomes.
[Source: "Engineered Cancer Nanovaccines: A New Frontier in Cancer Therapy", Nano-Micro Letters, September 30, 2024]
The result? Stronger, longer-lasting immune responses ready to take down cancer.
A new study in Biomaterials (Volume 313, Elsevier, 2025) led by Kishwor Poudel, Tulasi Vithiananthan, and Hensin Tsao (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School) alongside Jong Oh Kim (Yeungnam University, South Korea), hailed nanovaccines as “promising,” “adaptable,” and “modulatable.”
Their deep dive into vaccines explored types, antigen forms, and nanotech platforms — unveiling clinical trial insights that point to a future where nanovaccines rewrite the rules of immunotherapy.
mRNA cancer jabs
After decades of dashed hopes, the quest to develop cancer-fighting vaccines is finally catching fire: a number of cancer vaccines are awaiting regulatory approval.
Scientists are buzzing with optimism, thanks to breakthroughs in mRNA technology and personalized medicine.
The spotlight is on mRNA-4157 (V940). It's a cutting-edge melanoma vaccine crafted by Moderna and Merck, which is delivering promising trial results. Big news could drop in 2025 if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives it the green light.
Further studies in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma (a type of kidney cancer), urothelial carcinoma (a cancer of the urinary lining) and cutaneous squamous cell cancer (a type of skin cancer) are on to validate their efficacy and safety profiles.
In the UK, the NHS’s Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, in collaboration with BioNTech (of COVID-19 vaccine fame), is set to fast-track thousands into trials for personalised mRNA vaccines targeting colorectal, pancreatic, and melanoma cancers.
2 clinical trials on cancer nanovaccines:
1. Lipo-MERIT Trial (BioNTech)
Vaccine Type: Liposomal RNA-based nanovaccine targeting melanoma antigens.
Objective: To evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immune response in patients with advanced melanoma.
Results:
The nanovaccine induced strong T-cell responses targeting multiple melanoma antigens.
It demonstrated a favorable safety profile with mild side effects like fever and injection-site reactions.
In combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, patients showed improved tumour control.
2. Nano-VAX Trial (Providence Cancer Institute)
Vaccine Type: Nanoparticle-based vaccine delivering tumour antigens and immune-stimulating adjuvants.
Objective: To assess immune activation in patients with advanced solid tumours.
Results:
The vaccine successfully enhanced dendritic cell activation and antigen presentation.
Patients exhibited increased cytotoxic T-cell activity targeting tumour cells.
Partial tumour regression was observed in a subset of participants, with manageable side effects.
What the trials showed:
So far, trials confirm that nanovaccines are safe and can boost immune responses.
However, they highlight the need for further studies to optimise delivery and maximise clinical efficacy.
Tiny titans to curb cancer: A 2023 study in Science Translational Medicine, titled "Nanoparticles for Enhanced Delivery of Cancer Immunotherapeutics," is shaking up the cancer treatment playbook. Led by Jiaxin Zhang from Zhengzhou University Hospital, this groundbreaking research dives deep into how nanoparticles supercharge cancer-fighting strategies. What they found: Nanoparticles carrying cytokines and checkpoint inhibitors boosted immune cell infiltration into tumours. Targeted delivery hit tumours precisely, slashing side effects and making treatments easier to tolerate. Pre-clinical tests showed nanoparticle therapies team up beautifully with existing immunotherapy drugs.
Refining therapies
Scientists continue to explore nanovaccines and therapeutic vaccines as the next frontier, i.e. sipuleucel-T for prostate cancer, and preventive options targeting cancer-causing viruses like HPV.
Researchers including Poudel and Zhang stress on the need for better monitoring during nanovaccine trials to further refine treatments.
As nanotechnology integrates with cancer immunotherapy, combination treatments involving vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors show great potential.
These advances could transform cancer care, giving cancer a good fight and offering hope for improved patient outcomes.
What’s next?
The future lies in theranostics — multifunctional nanoparticles that combine diagnostics and therapeutics. Imagine real-time monitoring and precision treatment rolled into one powerful package. The future of cancer From smallpox to cancer vaccines
The history of vaccination is a testament to humanity's ingenuity.
The development of the smallpox vaccine (1797, by Edward Jenner) marked a turning point in public health, demonstrating the profound impact of immunology.
This success paved the way for the development of vaccines against a range of infectious diseases, including polio, measles, and more recently, Covid-19.
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