Breast cancer vaccine in clinical trials at Wayne State University
Research team led by Wei-Zen Wei, Ph.D., has been developing vaccine for more than 17 years.
With a vaccine now in clinical trials, Wayne State is playing an instrumental role in combating breast cancer. Wei-Zen Wei, Ph.D., a professor of oncology and microbiology/immunology/biochemistry at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Herrick Chair of Cancer Research at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, is leading critical research courtesy of a five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute.
Wei gained global attention in 2008 for creating a HER2 breast cancer vaccine that continues to be tested around the world
Wei — who gained global attention in 2008 for creating a HER2 breast cancer vaccine that continues to be tested around the world — and her collaborators have been championing this breast cancer vaccine for more than 17 years. With their development of a laboratory model emulating the human body (complete with fully identified genes), they can test the vaccine as it targets molecules such as HER2 and HER3, which are present in various cancers.
By matching the vaccine to the genes or gene-regulating elements that determine response, Wei and her team are better able to identify patients who are more likely to benefit from vaccination — and design vaccines that will help more patients.
Beyond this vaccine, Wei is working with Nerissa Viola-Villegas, Ph.D., an assistant professor of oncology at the School of Medicine and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, to expand the use of positron emission tomography (PET) in cancer therapy courtesy of a two-year, $368,445 grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering nearly 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 27,000 students.
