Michigan State University scientists are engineering a virus-like particle, known as Qβ, that will generate anti-cancer immune responses in the body and potentially be used as a new vaccine for the treatment of cancer.

The project, funded by a $2.4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, will support the development of the vaccine to protect animals against cancerous cells that are currently untreatable, and could easily translate to vaccines for humans’ use of spontaneously occurring cancers.

“This grant is unique as it focuses on the development of new anti-cancer immunotherapy based on collaborations between colleges of natural science, engineering and veterinary medicine,” said Xuefei Huang, MSU Foundation Professor of chemistry in the College of Natural Science, and in biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering. “It aims to establish a novel method for cancer treatment, complementing the current chemo- and radio-therapy.”

Huang is spearheading the research with two experts from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Vilma Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan, associate dean of research and graduate studies and a cancer researcher, and Paulo Vilar Saavedra, head of oncology. …Click here to read full news at MSU Today

Source: MSU Today