Virus-Inspired Colorectal Cancer Treatment through an Orally Administered Vaccine

Colorectal cancer (CRC), which includes cancers of the colon and rectum, represents a significant global health challenge as the third most commonly diagnosed and second most fatal cancer worldwide. It also places a substantial burden on European patients and healthcare systems. While standard treatments are available, they face significant limitations, especially in managing advanced CRC, often leading to poor patient outcomes and severely compromised quality of life. Emerging immunotherapies like immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and adoptive cell therapies show promise but face major obstacles, including high costs, side effects, lack of tumor targeting, and, most critically, they fail to treat ""cold"" CRC tumors with low or absent pre-existing anti-cancer immunity. Prof. Shi and his team have developed an innovative oral cancer vaccine to transform these “cold” CRC tumors into “hot” tumors by provoking potent cellular and humoral anti-cancer immunity. The vaccine will achieve this through its acid-stable nanovesicle structure to induce potent and intestine-localized anti-cancer immunity with reduced systemic side effects and improved patient compliance. This project aims to explore the technical and commercial potential of the vaccine platform.""