Immunogenic Cancer Vaccine Targets Key Mutations in Kidney Cancer
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Feb. 6, 2025 -- Neoantigen-targeting personalized cancer vaccines (PCVs) are highly immunogenic in high-risk clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and can target key driver mutations and induce antitumor immunity, according to a study published online Feb. 5 in Nature.
David A. Braun, M.D., Ph.D., from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues conducted a phase 1 trial to examine a neoantigen-targeting PCV in nine patients with high-risk, fully resected clear cell RCC (stage III or IV), with or without ipilimumab administered adjacent to the vaccine.
The researchers found that none of the participants had a recurrence of RCC at a median follow-up of 40.2 months after surgery; there were no dose-limiting toxicities reported. T-cell immune responses against the PCV antigens were generated by all patients, including to RCC driver mutations in VHL, PBRM1, BAP1, KDM5C, and PIK3CA. There was a durable expansion of peripheral T-cell clones observed following vaccination. In seven of nine patients, T-cell reactivity against autologous tumors was detected.
"The idea behind this trial was to specifically steer the immune system toward a target that is unique to the tumor," Braun said in a statement. "For patients with high-risk clear cell RCC, we want to improve postsurgery treatment options that reduce the risk of the cancer coming back."
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted February 2025
Read this next
More Than One in 10 Surgical Patients Face Food Insecurity
FRIDAY, June 20, 2025 -- Food insecurity is a significant burden among U.S. surgical patients, according to a study published online June 18 in JAMA Surgery. Annabelle...
ASCO: Durvalumab Plus FLOT Beneficial for Resectable Gastric, GE Junction Cancer
THURSDAY, June 5, 2025 -- For patients with resectable gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, durvalumab plus fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel...
Endolymphatic Sac Decompression Effective for Vertigo, Migraine
WEDNESDAY, May 28, 2025 -- For Meniere disease (MD) patients with migraine, endolymphatic sac decompression (ELSD) is effective, providing postoperative relief of vertigo and...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.