Large study debunks vaccines’ link to autism yet again
MMR vaccination has no role in the development of autism in children, a nationwide retrospective study of Danish children born between 1999 and 2010 concluded.1 Scientists looked at >650,000 children, of which 6,500 were diagnosed with the disease, and found that the vaccine did not increase the risk of autism or trigger autism in susceptible children.
The alleged link published >20 years ago in a widely debunked article has led to an increase in vaccine skepticism and decreased uptake across the world and, consequently, to increased incidence of measles with growing number of outbreaks. Increased vaccine hesitancy is one of World Health Organization’s top global health threats.
1. Hviid A, Hansen JV, Frisch M, Melbye M. Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccination and Autism: A Nationwide Cohort Study. Ann Intern Med 2019; doi: 10.7326/M18-2101
CAR-T therapy of mesothelioma had encouraging early-trial results
Mesothelin-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy showed tolerability and anti-tumor activity in a Phase 1 study of 21 patients with mesothelioma and other mesothelin-associated malignant pleural solid cancers, whose tumors progressed after platinum chemotherapy. The autologous T cells engineered to recognize mesothelin were persistent in 13 subjects after 38 weeks.
The best response rate — 72% including 2 complete responses — was reported for a cohort of 11 patients who also received the anti-PD1 checkpoint-blocking pembrolizumab.
Combination immunotherapy holds promise for the treatment of neuroendocrine cancer
A median survival of 11 months was reported from a small trial of 33 patients with rare neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract or lungs. This diagnosis, while increasing every year, has very few treatment options. The subjects received the anti-PD1 MAb nivolumab (Opdivo) every two weeks and the anti-CTLA-4 ipilimumab (Yervoy, both BMS) every six weeks. 42% of patients with high-grade diseases had their tumors shrink or disappear.
“We saw a benefit in patients with high-grade carcinoma, which is the population that really needs an effective treatment option,” Sandip Patel of University of California, San Diego said. “We found a clear difference in response to treatment between the high-grade and low-grade forms of this cancer type. So tumor biology makes a difference. We don‘t yet know why.”
MMR vaccine uptake increased in Canada after measles outbreak
The MMR vaccination rate increased in British Columbia, Canada compared to last year. The Interior Health reported the administration of 3,200 doses during the first two months of the year compared to 2,000 doses in the same period in 2018. The trend might be a consequence of a measles outbreak in the province with 18 cases so far.
“In all of the health authorities, we’re seeing a significant uptick in immunization rates in this period. […] We are taking both practical steps and regulatory steps to increase immunization rates,” health minister Adrian Dix said.
A multidrug immunotherapeutic approach improves outcomes in pancreatic cancer patients
54% of 24 evaluable patients with untreated metastatic pancreatic cancer showed tumor shrinkage in a Phase 1 study investigating the combination of the standard-of-care chemotherapy along with a CD40 agonist APX005M (Apexigen) and the anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab. Some responses lasted 10 months or more. The trial initially enrolled 30 subjects.
APX005M activates the co-stimulatory receptor CD40 found on the surface of several antigen-presenting cell types leading to induction of T-cell responses. Both APX005M and nivolumab reverse immune inhibition by tumor cells.
Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death with limited treatment options.
Prostate cancer vaccine is tested in a mid-stage trial
The prostate cancer vaccine ProscaVax (OncBioMune) has entered a randomized Phase 2 study. It is enrolling previously untreated patients with clinically localized tumors and compares vaccination to the active surveillance strategy, which is commonly employed in such cases.
ProscaVax targets the Prostate-specific antigen, which is overexpressed in prostate cancer, and is administered with interleukin-2 and GM-CSF as adjuvants.
India marks success of a measles vaccination campaign
Tens of thousands of lives have been saved by a mass measles vaccination campaign in India, according to a nationwide study of 27,000 child deaths from >1 million households between 2005 and 2013. The country adopted a 2-dose regimen and launched a campaign targeting districts with low uptake in 2010, saving the lives of ~50,000 children in three ensuing years.1
“Our results demonstrate the significant success of the measles vaccination campaigns in saving children‘s lives in India,” senior author Prabhat Jha of University of Toronto said. “We‘ve shown that nationwide mortality studies that are representative of the population are an inexpensive and practical way to directly investigate the impact of interventions for other diseases in India and elsewhere.”
1. Wong BK, Fadel SA, Awasthi S, Khera A, Kumar R, Menon G, Jha P. The impact of measles immunization campaigns in India using a nationally representative sample of 27,000 child deaths. Elife 2019; doi: 10.7554/eLife.43290
Combination immunotherapy stopped progression of hepatocellular carcinoma in a preclinical study
A PD-L1-specific MAb together with synthetic polyinosinicpolycytidylic acid (polyIC) was effective in a mouse model of primary hepatocellular carcinoma with complete responses observed in some animals.1 PolyIC was previously shown to boost immunity in the liver and to induce PD-L1 expression. By combining the two immunotherapeutics a strong CD8+ response was elicited in mice.
“We need to find effective new therapies for [hepatocellular carcinoma]. The best drugs in the world only extend a patient‘s life by an average of three months,” senior author Gen-Sheng Feng of University of California, San Diego said. “The most encouraging and important message from this study is that we have found a strategy or rationale to make liver cancer highly responsive to immunotherapy. Based on our preclinical data in animal models, a clinical trial could be designed and implemented quickly because both reagents are already being used separately to treat patients so there is no question about safety.”
1. Wen L, Xin B, Wu P, Lin CH, Peng C, Wang G, Lee J, Lu LF, Feng GS. An Efficient Combination Immunotherapy for Primary Liver Cancer by Harmonized Activation of Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Mice. Hepatology 2019; doi: 10.1002/hep.30528
Atezolizumab approved in the US for triple-negative breast cancer
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq, Roche) with the chemotherapeutic Abraxane for patients with inoperable, locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and high expression levels of PD-L1.
The decision is based on clinical trial results showing that the combination delayed disease progression by 7.4 months compared to 4.8 months for chemotherapy alone. Nearly 40,000 people annually are diagnosed with the aggressive triple-negative breast cancer in the US alone.