A new “super vaccine” developed by scientists at UMass Amherst has shown remarkable success in preventing cancer in mice, offering hope for a new class of vaccines that protect against some of the deadliest forms of the disease.
The nanoparticle-based vaccine trains the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells before tumors can take hold-keeping up to 88% of mice tumor-free against aggressive cancers like melanoma, pancreatic cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer.
The vaccine triggers a powerful, multi-pathway immune response and creates long-lasting immune memory to prevent both tumor growth and spread.
Unlike traditional cancer therapies, this vaccine doesn’t just shrink tumors-it can stop them from forming at all. The key lies in a lipid nanoparticle “super adjuvant” that enhances T-cell activation and immune targeting. The team also tested a version using killed tumor cells, showing similarly strong protection across multiple cancer types.
This adaptable platform could be tailored for high-risk individuals or potentially used for universal cancer prevention. Now in early startup and translational stages, the vaccine is being advanced toward human testing, with hopes of changing how we fight-and even prevent-cancer.
source
Griffin I. Kane, Tiana E. Naylor, Ellis F. Lusi, Meghan L. Brassil, Kim Wigglesworth, Ronnie W. Dinnell, Miranda B. Diaz-Infante, Leah M. Whiteman, John Lukas, Megan Winkler, Rohini Josh, Julia Cerrutti, Haruka Mori, Stefania Gallucci, Katherine A. Fitzgerald, Prabhani U. Atukorale. Super-adjuvant nanoparticles for platform cancer vaccination. Cell Reports Medicine, 2025