Kicking Cancer's Butt

A breast cancer breakthrough at M.D. Anderson? New vaccine helps prevent relapse

Good news for breast cancer patients: A post-treatment vaccine currently in its second phase of clinical trial at Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has proven to prevent disease recurrence by a significant margin.

Patients on the vaccine were 43 percent less likely to have a cancer recurrence. The secret weapon is AE37, a peptide vaccine that helps the body to raise immunity against HER2, the growth-promoting oncoprotein present in nearly 80 percent of breast cancer tumors.

Cassady flies to Houston once a month, receives two AE37 shots in her leg, then stays for 48 hours to check up with the doctors.

Dr. Elizabeth Mittendorf, assistant professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology at M.D. Anderson and principal investigator for the nation-wide study, told CultureMap that preliminary results suggest the AE37 vaccine may benefit patients with low levels of HER2 expression as well, when used in conjunction with other adjuvant treatments.

"The vaccination has been met with enthusiasm by the researchers and the patients," Mittendorf tells CultureMap.

After completing treatment from an oncologist, the patient begins receiving the primary vaccination series — monthly inoculations for six months. To increase efficacy, booster shots are given to the patient every six months over the next three years (the window of time that patients see the greatest risk of recurrence). Side effects are typically minimal.

Such is the case with Ann Cassady, an M.D. Anderson patient from Knoxville, Tenn., who underwent a double mastectomy, one lymphadenectomy, six months of chemotherapy and a month and a half of radiation before signing up for the study in February.

"I just had a treatment this morning," Cassady says. "I've experienced no side effects whatsoever."

Cassady flies to Houston once a month, receives two AE37 shots in her leg, then stays for 48 hours to check up with the doctors. Cassady said the after-effects of the inoculation are comparable to a mosquito bite itch.

The study finds that, at a 22-month follow up, former breast cancer patients had a 10.3 percent recurrence rate (compared to 18 percent in a control group). Those conclusions will be presented on June 4 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

A third phase of the study will follow after Antigen Express, the company that licenses the AE37 technology, applies for a special protocol assessment from the FDA.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”