Breakthrough drug could be 'vaccine for prostate cancer'

A vaccine could one day protect men from developing prostate cancer, thanks to a breakthrough by British scientists.

Experts have designed a vaccine that boosts the immune system’s ability to track down and kill the cancer cells as soon as they start to appear.

The research is at an early stage, but scientists from Queen’s University Belfast believe their findings could be used to vaccinate young men against getting prostate cancer. It could also be used as a treatment for men who already have the cancer, because it would enable the body to kill off tumours.

The new vaccine will use RNA – a genetic messenger which teaches the immune system to recognise prostate cancer cells and hunt them down. The Queen’s researchers have shown it works in the lab and are embarking on a three-year trial on mice, after which they hope to test the vaccine on humans.

More