Meet Dr. Thomas Wagner, the brain behind Orbis Health Solutions, a biotech company diving deep into the world of cancer research. His big goal? Finding a way to treat cancer without those nasty side effects that sometimes feel worse than the actual disease. And boy, does he mean business?
For Dr. Wagner, it's not just about the person getting the dreaded diagnosis. It's also about the fear that comes with the treatment, and that's a real heartbreaker, according to what he shared with ABC News.
Now, you've probably heard of treatments like chemotherapy, right? They go in guns blazing, killing off cancer cells left and right. But here's the kicker—they don't discriminate. Non-cancerous cells get caught in the crossfire too. And that's when the trouble starts. Hair loss, nausea, vomiting—you name it. Plus, it can kick your immune system to the curb, leaving you vulnerable to serious infections. Dr. Wagner is not a fan of this collateral damage, and who can blame him?
So, what did this superhero scientist decide to do? He set out on a mission to cook up a cancer treatment that doesn't knock out the immune system but uses it as a superhero sidekick instead. Picture this: a vaccine that's tailor-made for each patient. Now, that's what I call personalized medicine!
This groundbreaking treatment has been cooking in the lab for decades. Yep, you heard that right—decades. Dr. Wagner and his team have been perfecting this personalized vaccine, one shot at a time. It's like a fine wine; it gets better with age.
Imagine a world where cancer treatment doesn't feel like a battle against your own body. Dr. Wagner is bringing us one step closer to that dream. Let's raise a glass to science, hope, and a future where cancer is just a word in the history books. Cheers to you, Dr. Wagner!
.jpg)
You know, cancer cells are tricky little things. They sneak past our immune system because they're seen as part of the gang—our own cells. Dr. Wagner, being the clever mind he is, came up with a cool solution: the tumor lysate particle-only (TLPO) vaccine. Fancy name, huh?
Here's the lowdown: This vaccine uses bits from a person's tumor cells. These bits are like fingerprints that help the immune system recognize troublemakers. Dr. Wagner then serves up these identified bits back into the body using the vaccine. It's like a wake-up call for the immune system, telling it, "Hey, these are the bad guys—go get 'em!"
This whole process jumpstarts the immune system, giving it superhero powers to spot and tackle those cancer cells like they're pesky infections. It's like turning our body's defense system into a cancer-fighting warrior. Pretty cool, right?
Dr. Wagner spilled the beans on how folks used to ask him the million-dollar question: "When's the cure for cancer coming?" And for a long time, he couldn't give a straight answer. But guess what? Things have changed. In the last few years, there's been a buzz. A hopeful buzz.
Dr. Wagner is betting big on this kind of cancer treatment. He thinks it might just be the missing puzzle piece for that elusive cure we've all been waiting for. The secret sauce? Pairing it up with early detection. It's like a dynamic duo fighting against cancer—find it early, then hit it with the TLPO vaccine.
So, here's to Dr. Wagner and his team shaking things up in the world of cancer research. Who knows? Maybe we're closer than ever to waving goodbye to cancer. Fingers crossed!
What we know about this cancer vaccine so far.
So, let's talk about Dr. Wagner's TLPO cancer vaccine—it's been getting its fair share of attention. They've been testing this bad boy on hundreds of folks dealing with advanced melanoma in Phase 2 clinical trials.
Now, the latest scoop from an academic conference is pretty exciting. Hold onto your hats—almost 95% of the folks who got just the vaccine were still kicking three years into the treatment. And get this: about 64% of them were cruising without a trace of the disease. That's some serious scoreboard action.
Breaking it down further, for the tough cases of stage III melanoma, 60% of the vaccine-only gang were living a disease-free life after three years. Compare that to the placebo group, and it's like night and day—only about 39% were in the clear. For the even trickier stage IV crew, a whopping 68% of the vaccine peeps were holding strong, while the placebo group had a big fat zero in the disease-free department.
Now, like any superhero, the TLPO vaccine has its side effects. Nothing too wild, just the usual suspects: a bit of redness or pain at the injection site, maybe a touch of fever, and some fatigue. You know, the kind of stuff you'd expect when your immune system is gearing up for battle.
But, and there's always a but, Dr. Vernon Sondak from Moffit Cancer Center wants us to keep our excitement in check. He's seen this rodeo before with tumor lysate vaccines, and while the Phase 2 results are like a sparkly fireworks show, we can't pop the champagne just yet. The real deal, the Phase 3 clinical trial, is the big boss battle. That's where we'll find out if this cancer vaccine is the game-changer we've all been crossing our fingers for. So, hold onto your optimism, folks—the journey's not over just yet.
.jpg)
So, here's the scoop: the upcoming trial is set to be a three-year marathon, aiming to bring in 500 brave souls ready to roll up their sleeves and be part of something groundbreaking. Riley Polk, the bigwig over at Orbis Health Solutions, spilled the beans to WLOS, an ABC News buddy in Asheville, North Carolina.
Now, here's a personal touch to the story. Riley Polk himself has skin in the game. His dad faced a tough battle against lung cancer, going through a bunch of surgeries over a decade ago. When traditional options ran out, they decided to give Dr. Wagner's cancer vaccine a shot. And guess what? His old man snagged an extra decade of life before bowing out from something totally unrelated to cancer. According to Polk, you can talk all you want, but you can't convince him that the vaccine doesn't do the trick.
So, we're gearing up for this Phase 3 showdown, a real-deal test to see if Dr. Wagner's vaccine is the superhero we've been waiting for. Let's root for those 500 trailblazers, and who knows, we might just be witnessing history in the making. Stay tuned, everyone!
Financial barriers have prevented progress.
Let's dive into the nitty-gritty of Dr. Wagner's groundbreaking cancer vaccine and the challenges it's facing. Riley Polk spilled the beans that the Phase 3 clinical trial is no small feat—it's a whopping $100 million project. Now, for the big pharmaceutical giants and those backed by venture capitalists, that might just be pocket change. But for the smaller fish in the pond, like private companies, grabbing that kind of cash is like finding a needle in a haystack. Polk spilled the tea on how this financial hurdle holds them back from running more clinical trials. And who knows? Those trials could be the key to unlocking more possibilities for Wagner's cancer vaccine.
In a move to tackle this financial maze and bring the treatment to more folks, Wagner and his squad kicked off what they call a "basket trial." This FDA-approved clinical trial is like a versatile superhero cape—it lets the same vaccine that aced the melanoma trials strut its stuff on anyone with a solid tumor, meeting certain criteria, of course. They've got a clever strategy here: people in this trial should have a low or minimal tumor burden, meaning they've likely had some other treatment before jumping on the vaccine bandwagon. Catie King, an Asheville native battling ovarian cancer, took the plunge and was the first in line for this basket trial. And guess what? She felt fantastic after the first round; there was just a bit of redness at the injection site—no biggie.
Dr. Wagner, the mastermind himself, is beaming with anecdotes from patients who swear by this treatment. He's got folks saying they feel better, some even buzzing with energy after starting the vaccine. Take King, for example. In the farming business with her husband, she's singing praises because this vaccine didn't throw a wrench into her daily routine. No hard days, she says, unlike her previous dance with low-dose chemotherapy.
Polk chimes in with more stories: seven other brave souls have taken the vaccine through the basket trial, facing brain, lung, and breast cancers. But hold on, this vaccine has been in the game for two decades, with hundreds of patients getting a taste. Mary Carol Abercrombie, a stage 4 melanoma warrior, is waving the victory flag. Back in 2001, she faced a grim prognosis but signed up for Wagner's vaccine lifeline. Fast forward 20 years, and she's not just witnessing her son's wedding but enjoying the pitter-patter of four grandkids. Talk about a success story!
But here's the catch: before this vaccine becomes a household name for melanoma treatment, it's got to prove its worth in a Phase 3 clinical trial over the years and get that golden stamp of approval from the FDA. And there's more—it needs to nail the basket trial first, then dance through specific trials for other conditions. That's no quick stroll in the park—we're talking years and millions of dollars.
Polk is crossing his fingers, hoping the basket trial data catches the eye of the big players in the pharmaceutical world. With a sprinkle of partnership magic and some financial wizardry, they dream of expanding those trials through the FDA.
Dr. Jade A. Cobern, MD, MPH, a rockstar pediatrician specializing in preventive medicine and part of the ABC News Medical Unit, shared some insights. And let's not forget Justin Berger, the WLOS reporter from ABC News in Asheville, North Carolina, who brought us this juicy report. That's the lowdown on the vaccine saga—stay tuned for more twists and turns!