Scientists have reported that a new approach to fight cancer has been found to be hugely successful on mice. In this approach biodegradable polymer implant is used to teach the immune system of the body to attack tumors. The minute implant which is placed under patient’s skin releases antigens specific to the cancerous tumor, thereby reprogramming the body’s immune system to attack and destroy the cancerous cells.

In a recent publication of Science Translational Medicine journal, the scientists have reported that the performance of these implants is satisfactory in eradicating melanoma skin cancer tumors in the mice. David J. Mooney, the leader of the study, also a working professor of Bioengineering in the Harvard’s School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, says that with this method, the power of applying engineering elements to immunology has been shown.

The new implants made up of plastic seem to be less cumbersome and more effective than injectable vaccines for cancer that are presently under clinical experimentation. In injectable vaccines, immune cells from a person’s body are removed, they are reprogrammed for attacking the nasty tissues and then returned back to the body through injections. But it has been shown in experiments that over 90% of these cells get was destroyed even before they can have any effect on the person’s body.

Mooney’s group develops the implants that are made up of FDA approved biodegradable polymer which releases cytokines, a powerful employers of immune system messengers termed as dendritic cells. The dendritic cells enter into the implant where they get exposed to the antigens which are specified to the kind of cancer tumor under target. Then, these cells report to the nearby lymph nodes, where the T cells of the immune system are directed to locate and destroy the tumor cells.

Mooney says that the implants can be inserted under the person’s skin anywhere, similar to the implantable contraceptives that are placed in a lady’s arm. These implants activate the immune response which works to destroy the tumor cells. Mooney’s study was not aimed at curing melanoma in mice, although complete regression of distant and established melanoma tumors was observed by the researchers. Researchers believe that their study shows the success of implantable vaccines and thus provides a basis for the design new vaccine in future.

In the last few years, a lot of research had been conducted in the field of cancer vaccines. Researchers believe that the approach is more beneficial over chemotherapy and conventional cancer surgery, since it only target cancer cells and no other tissues are damaged in the process. It is even hoped that these vaccines may generate a permanent resistance from the cancerous cells, thus providing long-lasting protection against re-occurrence.

According to Mooney, these implant based vaccines generate several kinds of dendritic cells which direct the immune system to create a potent anti-tumor response. He says that this method can down-regulate the destruction made by the tumor and at the same time up-regulate the immune system.