Impact of Cancer Vaccines on the Future of Ovarian Cancer Treatment

Summary

This project depicts the growing impact of cancer vaccines on the upcoming future of ovarian cancer treatment. Cancer vaccines are still in the process of being studied as to how to make them safer and more efficient for patient use, however many have already made it to the clinical trial phase. This project specifically focuses on the vaccine's effect on ovarian cancer due to the devastating effects that this sort of cancer can have. Ovarian cancer has a relatively low 5-year survival rate and affects the ovaries of biological women.

Cancer vaccines work by activating the body's natural immune response and using this to destroy cancer cells. Cancerous tumor antigens are first injected into a patient in order to train the immune cells to detect the cancer. This means that next time the T-Cells are exposed to these antigens they will destroy the cells containing these antigens. Unfortunately, this entire process is still partly theoretical as scientists are seeing promising results in immune activation but not enough in tumor-regression.

This project dives further into depth into how these cancer vaccines could potentially change the standard form of treatment for ovarian cancer in the next five to ten years. If the cancer vaccines are found to be successful, then they will be able to offer an even better treatment option than when compared to traditional treatment such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. That is why it is so important to study these vaccines as they could be the future of treatment for not only ovarian cancer, but even other types of cancer. However, before any of this can happen it is important to study how these vaccines work and if they are even able to pass clinic trials or not.

General Function of the Ovarian Cancer Vaccine
(Figure representation created by the author:Moksha Nishidhdha Shah)

Report White Paper

(Click to view the full report)

Impact Statement

Hi! My name is Moksha Nishidhdha Shah. I am a rising 10th grade student at Woodbridge Academy Magnet School of Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences. This program has significantly deepened my understanding of various biological processes that I had previously encountered in school. While classroom learning provided me with a foundational knowledge of topics such as immunology, cell biology, and genetics, participating in this program allowed me to explore these subjects in far greater detail. I was able to connect theoretical concepts to real-world applications, especially in the context of cancer research and immunotherapy.

By: Moksha Nishidhdha Shah. The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Elio Academy.

More Projects