mRNA Technology Shows Promise in ‘Resetting’ Immune Response to Fight Cancer
LONDON – A new study published in Nature reveals a surprising benefit of mRNA vaccine technology: the potential to reinvigorate the immune system’s ability to recognize and attack cancer cells. Researchers discovered that the mRNA platform, initially developed for COVID-19 vaccines, can “reset” the immune system, transforming “cold” tumors – those previously ignored by immune defenses - into “hot” tumors susceptible to immunotherapy.
The findings stem from observations of cancer patients receiving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines within 100 days of starting immunotherapy treatment, who demonstrated significant improvements in survival and disease progression. While initial results were promising, scientists cautioned against attributing the effect solely to the vaccine, noting that patients healthy enough to receive vaccination may already have better prognoses.
To validate the mechanism, researchers conducted experiments on mice. They found the mRNA vaccine triggers the release of Type I Interferon, a protein that acts as an immune system alert, activating “scout” cells to search for threats. Crucially, these activated cells don’t exclusively target the COVID-19 spike protein; they also begin to recognize and attack mutated proteins within the previously ignored tumors.
This immune activation forces the tumor to lower its defenses, inadvertently signaling T-cells to attack. According to the study, the vaccine essentially compels the cancer to utilize the very mechanism that immunotherapy Checkpoint Inhibitor (ICI) drugs are designed to overcome.
“This remarkable paper describes an unforeseen benefit from COVID mRNA vaccines,” said Stephen Griffin, Professor of Cancer Virology at the University of Leeds, who was not involved in the study.
The research indicates the benefit lies in the mRNA platform itself, rather than the specific COVID-19 target.This is significant as mRNA vaccine technology was originally conceived as a potential cancer treatment.
“We should be cautious before drawing conclusions,” cautioned Dr. Lennard Lee, Associate Professor in Cancer vaccines at the University of Oxford. “Only a randomized trial can tell us whether the vaccine itself drives the effect.”
Researchers emphasize this is not a cancer prevention strategy, but rather a potential treatment boost.A full clinical trial to further investigate these findings is currently being designed.