We discovered a new way to modify this cell

In an article published in the newspaper "Zero Hora" in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, CellVax is in the news.

Read the article at: Zero Hora

Brazilian researchers have developed a therapeutic vaccine against prostate cancer that has just been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the regulatory agency in the United States, for clinical trials. This is the first time that a technology of this type has reached this stage.

The vaccine, developed in Porto Alegre by the team of the doctor from Rio Grande do Sul, Fernando Kreutz, is the result of 25 years of research and is already being tested in the United States.

— We discovered a unique way to modify this cell. And that is what makes this vaccine so interesting and has had the results it has had. That is what sets it apart — explains Fernando Kreutz.

The focus is on clinical trials on American soil to confirm the effectiveness of the treatment on a large scale and pave the way for international commercialization. The results are expected in 18 months, according to the researcher.

The National Cancer Institute (INCA) estimates that in 2024, 71 thousand new cases of prostate cancer will be registered in Brazil. When detected early, the cure rate is high.

However, even after the tumor is removed, the disease can return after a period of remission. This occurs in about 30% of cases. The vaccine promises to reduce the chances of recurrence of the disease through personalized immunotherapy technology, which uses tumor cells from the patient himself. The preliminary results, obtained after preclinical studies in Brazil, showed a reduction in disease recurrence from 36.8% to 11.8%.

— We carried out these studies, followed these patients, some for up to 10 years, to see what the effects were. Both if there was any type of toxicity, any adverse effect, and the result of the effectiveness of this therapy — says the researcher.

In the future, the technology could be adapted to other types of disease.

— This therapeutic vaccine is for patients with prostate cancer, but it can also be used for other types of tumors, such as breast tumors, gastric tumors, intestinal tumors, and lung tumors. This will be a significant advance, not only for Rio Grande do Sul, not only for Brazil, but globally — celebrates the doctor.