A nanoparticle-based vaccine developed by the University of Massachussets Amherst could effectively prevent melanoma, pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancer, the university reveals. 

Scientists tested the vaccine in mice, with 88% remaining tumour-free. The results also show that the vaccine reduced, and in some cases prevented, the spread of cancer.

The research was led by Prabhani Atukorale, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Riccio College of Engineering at UMass Amherst, whose previous research showed her novel nanoparticle-based drug design can shrink and clear cancer tumours in mice. This latest study, published in Cell Reports Medicine, proves the vaccine can also work preventively. 

“By engineering these nanoparticles to activate the immune system via multi-pathway activation that combines with cancer-specific antigens, we can prevent tumour growth with remarkable survival rates,” said Prabhani Atukorale, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Riccio College of Engineering at UMass Amherst and Corresponding Author on the paper. 

Results show high rejection rate of tumours 

Atukorale’s first test paired her nanoparticle system with well-characterised melanoma peptides known as antigens. The formulation activated immune cells called T cells, priming them to recognise and attack this type of cancer. Three weeks later, the mice were exposed to melanoma cells.  

Eighty percent of these “super adjuvant” vaccinated mice remained tumour-free and survived until the completion of the study (250 days). In comparison, all of the mice vaccinated with traditional vaccine systems, non-nanoparticle formulations or unvaccinated mice developed tumours. None of these mice survived longer than 35 days.  

For the second part of the study, researchers used killed cancer cells derived directly from the tumour mass, called tumour lysate. After vaccination with the nanoparticle lysate vaccine, the mice were exposed to melanoma, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma or triple-negative breast cancer cells.  

Results show that the tumour rejection rate was high: 88% of mice for pancreatic cancer, 75% of mice for breast cancer and 69% of mice for melanoma. Of these tumour-free, nanoparticle-vaccinated mice, all of them remained tumour-free when the researchers tested if the cancer would metastasise, given systemic exposure.  

The approach could be used across cancer types

The vaccine also protected against the spread of cancer to the lungs. When exposed to melanoma cells systemically, which mimics how cancer metastasises, none of the nanoparticle-vaccinated mice developed lung tumours, while all of the other mice did. 

“The tumour-specific T-cell responses that we are able to generate — that is really the key behind the survival benefit,” said Griffin Kane, Postdoctoral Research Associate at UMass Amherst and First Author on the paper. “There is really intense immune activation when you treat innate immune cells with this formulation, which triggers these cells to present antigens and prime tumour-killing T cells.”  

This robust T-cell response is possible because of the particular nanoparticle design of the vaccine. Researchers say that their design offers a platform approach that could be used across multiple cancer types.  

“The real core technology that our company has been founded on is this nanoparticle and this treatment approach,” Kane added. “This is a platform that Prabhani developed. The startup lets us pursue these translational efforts with the ultimate goal of improving patients’ lives.”  

Atukorale and Kane plan to extend this technology to a therapeutic vaccine and have already taken the initial de-risking steps in translation. 

Bruno Quinney, Content Team, DDW