Cancer treatment has advanced rapidly in recent years, yet many patients still face limited options once tumors take hold.
Scientists continue searching not only for new medicines, but for smarter ways to use the ones they already have.
Researchers at Northwestern University now report that a subtle redesign of an experimental HPV cancer vaccine significantly improved its ability to trigger an immune attack on tumors.
The findings suggest that how a vaccine is built may be just as important as what it contains.
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Structure over ingredients
The team focused on cancers driven by human papillomavirus, including cervical and certain head and neck cancers. Unlike preventive HPV vaccines, this therapeutic version is meant to treat existing disease.
Using a DNA-based nanoparticle platform known as a spherical nucleic acid, scientists created several vaccine versions containing identical components.
The only difference was the position of a small HPV protein fragment attached to the particle.
That minor adjustment produced major effects. In laboratory models and patient-derived tumor samples, one specific configuration generated a far stronger CD8 T cell response, slowed tumor growth and extended survival in animals.
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A new design strategy
Instead of simply mixing ingredients together, the researchers precisely controlled how the antigen was displayed on the nanoparticle’s surface. This structural tuning improved how immune cells processed the target.
The study, led by nanotechnology researcher Chad A. Mirkin and medical oncologist Dr. Jochen Lorch, highlights the growing field of structural nanomedicine.
The approach could help refine existing cancer vaccines without changing their core ingredients.
Sources: Science Daily and Science Advances
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