Cancer Research UK scientists have made a breakthrough in the development of new therapies, that have fewer side effects, in the treatment of the disease.

A unique protein – or 'tag' - found by the scientists could be used in a vaccine therapy to help the patient's own immune system to identify cancer cells and attack them, research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation claims.

Lead author, Dr Caetano Reis e Sousa, said: "Vaccines work by triggering an army of immune cells, called T cells, to attack potentially dangerous foreign molecules, like those found on pathogens. Dendritic cells are the messengers, telling the T cells who to attack.

"We have now found a tag on dendritic cells – called DNGR-1 – which can be targeted by vaccines.

"Vaccines will carry a sample of the offending molecule and deliver it to DNGR-1 on the dendritic cells. The dendritic cell in turn will present the molecule to the armies of T cells and instruct them to attack."

Scientists have been searching for such a tag since dendritic cells were first discovered in 1973, but have only found ones that also exist on other types of cells.

Finding a completely unique tag is important as it cannot confuse the immune cells into attacking the wrong molecules.

Therapeutic cancer vaccines, developed to treat patients who already have cancer rather than act as a preventative measure, are a relatively new area of research but several are in development.

However, getting approval for these vaccines is proving difficult.

Biotechnology company Antigenics announced in April that it has received approval in Russia for its kidney cancer vaccine Oncophage – a world first - while Dendreon is still trying to get US approval for its prostate cancer vaccine Provenge.
© Adfero Ltd