Australian scientists will carry out the world’s first clinical trial to test anticancer vaccines designed to treat children with treatment-resistant brain tumors. This was announced by the University of Queensland (UQ), where the vaccine underwent preclinical development.

“In the coming months, clinical trials of the drug PaedNEO-VAX will be conducted in eight pediatric hospitals across the states of Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia,” the university said in a statement.

Each vaccine is planned to be created individually for each patient using specific genetic markers. Seventy patients diagnosed with brain cancer and with a life expectancy of no more than 24 months will be enrolled in the four-year clinical trial.

“This is a new, personalized approach to treating particularly challenging forms of brain cancer. The first phase of the trial will help us determine a safe and effective dose, and the second phase will evaluate the treatment’s effectiveness. We will try to find out whether it slows cancer progression and improves overall survival and quality of life for patients and their families,” said Professor Jordan Hansford, who is involved in the study.

UQ also reported that the new drug was developed based on mRNA vaccine technology used against COVID-19. “After identifying unique cancer markers in each child’s tumor through genome sequencing and advanced data analysis, we will select vaccine targets specific to each tumor. Then personalized treatments will be manufactured,” explained the study’s scientific lead, Professor Brandon Wainwright.

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