• Vaccines made for colorectal cancer based on recombinant proteins
  • Javad Yaghmoorian Khojini,1 Fatemeh Manafzadeh,2 Ali Osmay Gure,3,*
    1. Master student of medical biotechnology/ Department of Medical Biotechnology/ School of Medicine/ Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences/ Yazd/ Iran
    2. Master student of medical biotechnology/ Department of Medical Biotechnology/ School of Medicine/ Shahroud University of Medical Sciences/ Semnan/ Iran
    3. MD, PhD Chair, Department of Medical Biology Acibadem University Istanbul, Turkey


  • Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer death worldwide. It begins with the uncontrolled growth of cells, known as a polyp. The common treatments for CRC are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. The common treatments are considered hazardous and invasive and have failed in distant metastasis; therefore, the need to introduce novel treatment strategies is well perceived. The current focus of many types of research is designing vaccines with the hope of triggering the immune system to attack cancer cells in a more effective, reliable, and safe manner. In recent decades, developing new cancer vaccines based on highly purified recombinant proteins and designing several clinical trials with vaccine therapy have been considered in colon cancer patients. In CRC patients, the use of recombinant protein vaccine is based on the identification and synthesis of peptides generally found in protein structures, which can induce TAA (tumor-associated antigens) or TSA-specific antitumor immune responses. These vaccines can trigger specific T cell responses and commonly have been used with adjuvants to improve immune responses against the tumor. However, developing vaccines based on recombinant proteins in the battle against colorectal cancers offers several advantages but will also face continued challenges.
  • Methods: This study was written based on searching PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases and scientific articles extracted from these databases. In addition, authoritative scientific books and studies published in international congresses were used.
  • Results: Colorectal cancer (CRC) begins with the uncontrolled growth of polyps on the inner lining of the rectum or colon that can become cancerous and lead to the development of metastasis. A unique aspect of cancer is its ability to survive in the presence of an immune system. One such method is immunotherapy. Immunotherapy consists of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, Monoclonal Antibodies, Immune System Modulators, and Cancer Vaccines.The use of cancer vaccines is designed to trigger the intense response of the immune system to one or more tumor-specific antigens, which leads to a cytotoxic attack against cancer cells expressing these antigens. In recent decades, the development of new cancer vaccines based on highly purified recombinant proteins which can induce TAA or TSA-specific antitumor immune responses, and designing several clinical trials with vaccine therapy, have been taken into consideration in colon cancer patients. CRC cells express TAAs such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), squamous cell carcinoma antigen recognized by T cells 3 (SART3), Survivin-2B, p53, or mutated KRAS, which are potential targets for immunotherapy. The most commonly used protein markers are carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA19-9. If a cancer vaccine is to be developed against colorectal cancer, these two antigens need to be used. The proper choice of domains of the antigens and the construction of a new cancer antigen that can stimulate the immune system against colorectal cancer cells have a vital impact on the quality of the vaccine. Generally, there is a clear role for tumor-specific T-cell immunity in the final clinical outcome of colorectal cancer. Despite evidence that some current vaccines are able to induce strong antigen-specific immune responses in the absence of serious adverse events, there is hardly any evidence generated to demonstrate the clinical impact of these vaccines in patients with colorectal cancer.
  • Conclusion: Studies suggested that recombinant protein vaccine could induce B-cell and T-cell mediated immune responses, which are important for a protective vaccine against colorectal cancer. However, the development of peptide/protein vaccines in the battle against various human cancers holds great promise but also will face continued challenges.
  • Keywords: colorectal cancer, recombinant protein vaccine, recombinant subunit vaccines, Immunotherapy, cancer