By: Jeremy Sun
Dr. Catherine Wu, born on September 19, 1970, in New York, USA, is a pioneering physician and scientist based at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. She is dedicated to developing personalized cancer vaccines, aiming to revolutionize treatment. She believes that a cure for cancer is within reach, inspired by advances in curing other diseases, which is why her team is creating these vaccines tailored to fight each individual’s distinct cancer.
Although we have discovered and invented cures for other types of diseases, finding a cure for cancer has proven elusive. That’s because each person’s cancer is influenced by their specific genetic makeup.
To find a cure for cancer, according to the article “Dr. Catherine Wu Wants To Make Personalized Cancer Vaccines A Reality” by Sowmya Kolluru, “Dr. Wu’s research focuses on harnessing the power of the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. She got the idea after watching how a bone marrow transplant helped leukemia patients reset their immune systems to fight the disease.”
In their initial study, Dr. Wu and her team selected six individuals with advanced melanoma, a type of skin cancer. They started by examining the specific features of each person’s cancer. Next, they made custom vaccines for each patient using their own proteins. The team developed these vaccines to teach the patients’ immune systems to identify and destroy cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
In 2015, each person received a series of seven shots of their personalized vaccines. By 2017, four patients had no signs of cancer returning. The two patients with the most advanced cancer saw their tumors come back, but after receiving four additional doses of the tailored vaccines, the growths vanished. By 2021, all six patients were declared free of cancer!
Despite the limited number of participants, Dr. Wu’s research demonstrates that personalized vaccines can successfully fight and defeat cancer. Her efforts have garnered multiple awards, including the prestigious Sjöberg Prize, which she received in February 2024. This honor includes a $1 million award — $100,000 in prize money and $900,000 designated for advancing cancer research in the future.