The Science Behind How BriaCell’s Therapies Work

Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that’s recently being used to treat cancers. Unlike chemotherapy, which involves administering drugs that are toxic to rapidly dividing cancer cells, immunotherapy works by boosting the body’s natural defenses so the patient’s immune system can detect, target and destroy cancer cells.

The Basics of Immuno-Oncology

The immune system works by identifying foreign bodies such as viruses, bacteria, or cancerous cells, and destroying them.

Chemotherapy works by using drugs that kill cancer cells throughout the body. In most cases, these drugs work by disrupting cell division, making the drugs particularly toxic to fast-dividing cancer cells and other healthy cells resulting in serious side effects in cancer patients.

In contrast, immuno-oncology works by helping the body’s immune system to detect cancer cells and to destroy them.

BriaCell’s Dual-Action Mechanism

BriaCell’s novel immuno-oncology operates through two mechanisms. It directly stimulates T-cells and boosts the immune response. Essentially, it signals the T-cells, indicating a threat for them to respond to and putting them on high alert.

BriaCell’s drugs also work indirectly by producing antigens and GM-CSF. These are taken up by immune cells and presented to T-cells, helping train them to identify cancerous cells. This removes the ‘cloak of invisibility’ that the cells use as defense and reminds the immune system that the cancer cells are harmful and should not be there.

The Power of Combination Therapy

One defense that cancer uses against the immune system is the production of “checkpoint proteins.” These proteins send an “off signal” to the immune system, stopping it from attacking the cancer cells. Checkpoint inhibitors are drugs that prevent the action of these proteins, thereby “releasing the brakes” on the immune system so it can function normally. BriaCell’s therapy works by “putting the foot on the gas” of the immune system in a very targeted way.

By combining BriaCell’s therapies with a checkpoint inhibitor, it becomes possible to mount a multi-pronged attack on cancer, increasing the chances that the immune system can eliminate tumors.

The Whole-Cell Advantage

Whole-cell technology involves presenting multiple antigens to the immune system, giving it a broader target to respond to. When whole cancer cells are used to train the immune system, it’s much harder for the cancer to mutate enough to develop resistance again.

BriaCell’s therapies work by establishing a strong foundation for an effective immune response. A key benefit of whole-cell therapies is that the immune response can last a long time, providing extended protection against the regrowth of cancer cells.

HLA-Targeted Immunotherapy for Multiple Cancer Types

HLA specific immunotherapy treatments are designed to help people who have been diagnosed with solid tumor cancers. So far, BriaCell’s work has focused on metastatic breast cancer. However, our immuno-therapy treatments can be effective against other forms of cancer too, and are already being tested in bucket trials for their effectiveness with plans to extend into prostate cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, and other cancers.

To learn more, explore our clinical trials or read our scientific publications.