A vaccine originally developed to treat genital herpes may have the potential to protect against one of the most common forms of cancer, skin cancer.
The scientists hoped that the OncoVex drug could protect against genital herpes, which though not a life-threatening condition is uncurable and causes sufferers to experience painful blisters around their genital region, as well as causing embarrassment and affecting their sex lives.
Though the condition can be managed with antiviral treatments such as aciclovir and valtrex finding a vaccine has long been a goal for specialists in sexual health.
However the researchers have a mistake to thank for the discovery that the herpes vaccine could actually be better suited to treating melanomas, after one of their team accidentally dropped the vaccine in the wrong dish, namely the one containing the melanoma cells.
The team, from Rush Medical College, then noticed that many of the tumour cells in the treated dish died and further clinical trials were launched to investigate the discovery.
Generally, patients with Stage III or IV melanomas have very poor life expectancies and often survive for only 6 months after the cancer has metastasized. However in Phase 2 trials of OncoVex, involving 50 patients with metastatic melanoma, 8 patients recovered completely and 4 partly responded to the medication.
Dr. Howard Kaufman, who is leading the research, said, "Very few treatment options exist for patients with advanced melanoma, none of them satisfactory, which is why oncologists are so excited about the results we found in our Phase II study."
Biovex, who own the rights to the drug, are still trying to find a vaccine for genital herpes and have announced that Stage 1 trials for a new vaccine, called ImmunoVex, began in February in the UK.
Figures suggest that at least 45 million people in the US alone are carrying the Herpes virus. While many have learnt to manage the condition with treatments like aciclovir and valtrex
many are unaware that they have the virus.
The infection, as well as causing painful blisters, can also compromise the immune system, leading to cysticis, systemic complications and urethritis, amongst other conditions.
Biovex believe that their vaccine as well as destroying the virus could also reduce the window of transmission from someone who is infected, making it less likely a patient could pass the infection on to their sexual partners.
Phase III trials for the melanoma treatment are set to begin and the team at Rush University are currently recruiting 430 volunteers to take part in the trial, which will see the new drug injected directly into the tumour nodules for up to 24 treatments.
