Detecting cancer cells and fighting them effectively
The goals of IOZK immunotherapy are to provoke an immune response against tumor cell antigens and to overcome the camouflage mechanisms of tumor cells. Dendritic cells play a key role in this process as information carriers, as does Newcastle disease, a virus that is harmless to humans.
Dendritic cells can trigger an immune response against tumor cells
Once a tumor has established itself, it develops biological camouflage mechanisms to evade detection by the immune system. Under certain circumstances, repeated vaccinations with IO-VAC® can enable the patient's immune system to uncover these camouflage mechanisms, recognize tumor cells in the body as dangerous, and effectively combat them. Similar to a conventional vaccination, the immune system can develop an immunological memory against the tumor antigens, ensuring a long-term effect.
Production of the vaccine
First, blood is drawn. The IOZK laboratory cultivates dendritic cells from the monocytes contained in the blood—a group of white blood cells. These are matured in the laboratory and "loaded" with information about tumor components and viral danger signals. After vaccination, the dendritic cells can present these tumor-specific molecules to the patient's immune system and activate so-called T cells. Their task is to destroy diseased cells. Based on this information, the T cells can now recognize and attack tumor cells throughout the body under certain conditions.
The principle of vaccination with dendritic cells, on which IO-VAC® is based, has been the subject of intensive research for years. The first drug of this type approved in the USA is Provenge (Sipuleucel T) for prostate cancer. However, this does not use the patient's own tumor antigens, but defined antigens. Another vaccine (DC-Vax) has shown promising results in advanced clinical trials but has not yet been approved. This vaccine also works with dendritic cells that have been loaded with the body's own tumor lysate. However, it does not contain an oncolytic virus as an adjuvant.
"In the treatment of tumor diseases, it is becoming increasingly clear that there is no such thing as 'the tumor' or 'the patient'. Standardized approaches that do not take individual circumstances into account are of limited use."
Dr. Katharina Sprenger, MD
Video: Dendritic cells activate/inform T cells
Using viruses to fight cancer
Certain oncolytic viruses can only reproduce in tumor cells and thus destroy them, while healthy cells are able to defend themselves against the virus. The Newcastle disease virus (NDV) belongs to this group. It is completely harmless to humans: it reproduces exclusively in human tumor cells without damaging healthy cells. When infected, the tumor cells send out danger signals that can alert and activate the immune system. Through this mechanism, oncolytic viruses can enhance the effect of vaccination with dendritic cells.
"The idea of using viruses to fight cancer is not new. More than 100 years ago, doctors observed that cancerous tumors sometimes disappeared as if by magic after a viral infection."
Prof. Dr. Volker Schirrmacher, PhD
