Virus-based vaccine for TNBC - Research • Breast Cancer Foundation NZ

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Virus-based vaccine for TNBC

Professor Sarah Young - University of Otago
Professor Sarah Young - University of Otago
September 2018
Research Grant

What is the problem and who is affected?

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the hardest to treat, with no targeted treatments, and often affects younger women. Last year, with your help, we funded Professor Sarah Young at Otago University to develop a virus-based vaccine for TNBC. Having successfully developed a virus that works in breast cancer cell lines, she now needs to figure out how it might work for patients work in combination with existing treatments.

What is this research hoping to achieve?

We’ve awarded Professor Young another grant of $107,000 to test her vaccine in mice, in combination with new and existing treatments. If her team can find a combination that works to prevent TNBC from spreading, they’ll have taken a vital step towards human clinical trials.