Can We Train a Child’s Immune Cells to Recognize and Kill Cancer Cells?

Project Title: Combining Decitabine and Vaccine Therapy for Patients with Relapsed Neuroblastoma and Sarcoma
Researcher: Kenneth Lucas, MD
Institutions: University of Louisville
Study Type: Phase I clinical trial
Status: Completed

Children with relapsed neuroblastoma or sarcoma have few promising treatments today. In order to provide kids with more effective and less toxic treatment options, Solving Kids’ Cancer supported this vaccine clinical trial based on prior research showing that vaccines created from a patient’s immune cells can stimulate the immune system to target and kill cancer cells. In this study, blood is collected from the children and a type of immune cells, called dentritic cells, are isolated and “pulsed” with CT antigens. This technique enables them to “prime” the immune system to kill tumor cells with those targets when reinfused into the patient’s immune system in multiple doses. As part of this study, the cancer drug decitabine is also used to make the expression of the markers (CT antigens) more pronounced on the cancer cells so that the immune cells can better recognize and kill the cancer cells.

To learn more about this trial, visit clinicaltrials.gov.

Charity Partners: Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, Pierce Phillips Charity