Scientists use stem cells to develop potential cancer vaccine

Scientists developed vaccine from stem cells that helped mice's immune systems fight cancer, the Daily Mail reported.

Because stem cells have similar aspects with the deadly disease, the team used it to help teach the animal's bodies to recognise and tackle cancer.

"Reprogramming the immune system to stop the development of tumours may save countless numbers of lives as well as spare many from gruelling, debilitating treatment," Jane Murphy, a clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Care told the Daily Mail.

Stanford University researchers developed the vaccine. The trial test also saw two of the mice defeat cancer completely.

Cancer develops when cells multiply and grow sporadically. Vaccine help prevent infections by inducing similar but less dangerous germs to the body in order to help fight the illness.

"When we immunized an animal with genetically matching iPS cells, the immune system could be primed to reject the development of tumours in the future," study author and profess of cardiology and radiology, Dr Joseph Wu, told the Daily Mail.

The promising method could soon immunize humans against their own cancers. "Pending replication in humans, our findings indicate these cells may one day serve as a true patient-specific cancer vaccine," he explained.