Australian vaccine development for prostate cancer

Scientists at the Mater Medical Research Institute in Queensland, Australia, have developed a vaccine that primes a patient's immune system to identify prostate cancer cells and destroy them. The vaccine has proved to be able to identify and destroy prostate cancer cells in laboratory trials, and the first human trials have begun.

In a Phase I study, 12 patients will be given three vaccines at intervals of four weeks, and then Derek Hart and his team will evaluate the treatment's safety and effectiveness. Prof Hart said he hoped to have the trial results by the end of this year and, if they are successful, a second study is planned, funded by an A$1.3 million ($938.5 million) grant from the US Army. The vaccine could be available in about three to five years.