In the study, researchers tested a vaccine against an abnormal variant of a self-made cell protein called MUC1, which is altered and produced in excess in both IBD and colon cancer, according a Pitt news release. The vaccine was given to transgenic mice that spontaneously developed IBD and colitis-associated colon cancer. Animals that received the MUCI vaccine showed signs of IBD later than two control groups, according to the release.
Microscopic evaluation of the colon tissue showed less inflammation in the vaccinated mice, and no indication of cancerous changes, according to the release. Nearly half of the animals in each of the control groups had evidence of abnormal tissue, and two had colon cancer.
This study suggests that in the future the vaccine might be considered as part of the therapeutic regimen for IBD as well, according to the release. The experimental vaccine has been studied in patients with colon and pancreatic cancer and currently is being tested as a prevention measure in patients who have a high risk for developing colon cancer.
Read the Pitt release on MUC1 vaccine in colon cancer.
