Our Purpose
The bold idea to harness the immune system to fight cancer began at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) more than a century ago. In the past two decades, the pace of discovery has accelerated, as MSK breakthroughs have continued to push the frontier of immunotherapy.
Among the most exciting advances are vaccines that can treat cancer. The simple yet powerful notion that we can teach the immune system to seek and destroy cancer cells has long sparked the imaginations of cancer researchers around the world.
Precision vaccines empower the patient’s own immune system to spot the unique genetic signature of their cancer. This allows vaccines to:
- Unleash immune cells to attack cancer while sparing healthy cells
- Be combined with other cancer therapies
- Trigger a long-lasting immune response that can potentially prevent cancers from spreading or returning
MSK scientists have already published results from the first and only clinical trial in the world testing precision RNA vaccines for pancreatic cancer. These findings have encouraged us to investigate using vaccines to treat more people with pancreatic and other deadly cancers. This work will now be accelerated thanks to a major gift.
The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK allows MSK to lead the field in developing cancer vaccines that target a wide range of cancers. Cancer vaccines are an essential part of MSK’s broader efforts to expand and improve immunotherapy options for people with cancer worldwide. The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK is named in recognition of the generous support of The Olayan Charitable Foundation, the FORTH Foundation, and MSK trustee Hutham Olayan.
There is more information below about MSK’s innovation, access for patients, and the team leading this unprecedented effort to drive discoveries that will reduce suffering and save lives.
Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines
Doctors use therapeutic cancer vaccines to treat cancer after it occurs rather than to prevent it.
They work by exposing the immune system to antigens – the specific molecules that are linked to a patient’s cancer. These vaccines can be customized for every patient, allowing precision targeting of each individual’s tumor.
They can:
- Stop a tumor from growing or spreading
- Destroy cancer cells still in the body after treatments
- Keep cancer from coming back
Our Patients
If you’re interested in a cancer vaccine, here’s how to get one:
MSK has research studies, also called clinical trials, that explore therapeutic vaccines for some cancers. We also offer approved cancer vaccine treatments. Here’s how you can learn more.
If you’re a patient at MSK: Talk with your MSK doctor about whether a cancer vaccine clinical trial or approved cancer vaccine is right for you. A cancer vaccine may not the best choice for you. Your MSK doctor also can talk with you about other treatment options.
If you’re not an MSK patient: Please call 800-525-2225. Our Care Advisors will connect you to an MSK doctor. They can talk with you about whether a cancer vaccine clinical trial or approved cancer vaccine is right for you. If they’re not good options, our Care Advisors will help you find other cancer treatments at MSK.
Learn More About Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trials at MSK
Digestive Cancers (22-352)
Head and Neck Cancer (23-293)
Kidney Cancer (24-109)
Lung Cancer (Non-Small Cell) (24-036)
Melanoma (24-045)
Melanoma (23-098)
Neuroblastoma (23-198)
Neuroblastoma (21-206)
Pancreatic Cancer (23-136)
Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines Approved by the FDA
Advanced Prostate Cancer
Sipuleucel-T (Provenge®)
Early Stage Bladder Cancer
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG).
Nadofaragene firadonevec (Adstiladrin®)
Advanced Melanoma
T-VEC (Imlygic®)
Our Team
The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK (OCCV)
Contact Us
Please contact us if you have questions about the center or are interested in collaborating with our team.
[email protected]
The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center