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February 13, 2008 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A vaccine based on prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) can provide long-term protection against prostate cancer in mice genetically predisposed to the malignancy, new research indicates. "By early vaccination, we have basically given these mice life-long protection against a disease they were destined to have," senior author Dr. W. Martin Kast, from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, said in a statement. "This has never been done before and, with further research, could represent a paradigm shift in the management of human prostate cancer." PSCA is a good vaccine target because it is overexpressed in prostate cancer, particularly in metastatic tissue, but displays limited expression in other tissues, the authors note. In the new study, which is reported in the February 1st issue of Cancer Research, the investigators administered a PSCA-based vaccine to prostate cancer-prone transgenic adenocarcinoma mouse prostate (TRAMP) mice. The animals were 8 weeks old and already had prostate neoplasia. Vaccination was associated with a robust immune response, principally mediated by CD8 T cells. At 12 months, 90% of the vaccinated mice were still alive, while all of the control animals had either died or had large tumors. In keeping with the selectivity of PSCA expression, the researchers found no evidence of autoimmune disease in the vaccinated animals. Dr. Kast noted that human studies are needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of this vaccine strategy. "We feel this is a very promising approach. With just two shots, the vaccine will prime immune cells to be on the lookout for any cell that over-expresses PSCA." Copyright 2008 Reuters. Click for Restrictions.
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