Ricki Lewis

Thanks to biotechnology, immunotherapy has become standard of care along many a cancer patient's journey, with many targeted drugs now available. One of the oldest and most successful immunotherapies is simpler: a tamed version of a classic vaccine, against the infectious disease tuberculosis (TB).

"BCG" is the "treatment" vaccine's technical name, for Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. Oncologists have used BCG to treat early stage bladder cancer for decades.

A research team led by Rita Fior at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal, figured out how BCG decimates cancer cells. Their report appears in Disease Models and Mechanisms. First author is Mayra Martínez-López, who was a PhD student at the lab and is now at the Universidad de las Américas in Quito, Ecuador.

Immunotherapy Began with Coley's Toxins

Retooling vaccines to kill cancer cells is a classic tale in the history of medicine.

The idea that old vaccines might have a role in the fight against COVID-19 has been floated since the early days of the pandemic. Vaccines stimulate the broad, innate immune response, which appears to play a key role in fighting COVID-19. Can the approach bridge the time until entire populations are vaccinated specifically against SARS-CoV-2?

Three vaccines dominate the discussion: bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) against tuberculosis; measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR); and oral polio vaccine (OPV).

To continue reading, go to MedPage Today, where this article first appeared.