“UV1 is a therapeutic cancer vaccine used to generate an immune response against the enzyme human telomerase (hTERT). The enzyme is essential for the ability of cancer cells to proliferate. Telomerase is present in 85-90% of all cancers, across the stages of the disease.”
It’s a protein epitope vaccine against a normal human protein. Not stated here, but it may also target normal stem cells needed for repair and renewal processes. This risk may be reduced by the cessation of checkpoint blockades, but, the immune system can’t forget a target, and autoimmunity is an unsolved problem. HLA binding is also not perfectly specific, and any immune response is likely to generate more immunity from the target cell. This universal targeting of normal peptides may be an acceptable last-line defense, but I would be more comfortable targeting a somatic mutation with some significant differentiation from anything in the human exome.
It’s a protein epitope vaccine against a normal human protein. Not stated here, but it may also target normal stem cells needed for repair and renewal processes. This risk may be reduced by the cessation of checkpoint blockades, but, the immune system can’t forget a target, and autoimmunity is an unsolved problem. HLA binding is also not perfectly specific, and any immune response is likely to generate more immunity from the target cell. This universal targeting of normal peptides may be an acceptable last-line defense, but I would be more comfortable targeting a somatic mutation with some significant differentiation from anything in the human exome.