Developing a Vaccine produced from a patient's one's own tissues has definitely taken Pharmacogenomics-popularly known as "Personalized medicine" to a new height in the present scenario.
.jpg)
The concept of Pharmacogenomics deals with the genetic variation among the masses, and using the genetic data to select the right drugs to treat disease in a given patient. Although at a primary level, this can help the doctors in avoiding pointless treatments and reducing adverse drug reactions in the concerned patients.
.jpg)
Using a patient's own tissues for developing a Vaccine, is in itself a novel strategy employed by Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J, wherein they are offering patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) (brain tumor) the opportunity to take part in the clinical trials.
The phase II trial, headed by principal investigator and researcher Anthony D'Ambrosio, M.D., director of Valley's neuro-oncology disease management team, is designed to evaluate safety, survival and immune response in patients treated with a heat shock protein peptide-complex vaccine (HSPPC-96) derived from each patient's specific tumor cells.
"Heat shock proteins are believed to play an essential role in helping the immune system to recognize and eradicate diseased cells," said D'Ambrosio.
The Glioblastoma Vaccine study is sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco, and is currently available in limited locations across the country. The study is currently searching for participants who are newly diagnosed, over age 18 and whose tumors have not been excised.
These trials indicate a new era in healthcare with the advent of personalized medicines, for the common good of humanity.
Posts
