Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta Attacking Cancers through Neoantigens - Dr. Jackie Douglass
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Sep 20, 2025 Dr. Jackie Douglas, a medical oncology fellow at Johns Hopkins specializing in neoantigens and cancer immunotherapy, dives into the promising world of personalized cancer treatments. She explains how neoantigens, unique to cancer cells, can be targeted for therapy. The discussion includes HLA alleles' roles, challenges like patient variability, and the exciting potential of mRNA vaccines in clinical trials. Douglas emphasizes the need for affordable therapies and shares insights on future advancements, all while maintaining a hopeful outlook for cancer patients.
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What Neoantigens Really Are
- Neoantigens are novel peptides not found on normal cells and thus escape immune tolerance.
- The immune system can mount responses to neoantigens because they are perceived as non-self.
Three Sources Of Neoantigens
- Neoantigens arise from multiple sources: tumor mutations, oncogenic viruses, and fetal protein re-expression.
- These different classes expand the pool of cancer-specific targets for immunotherapy.
Why Neoantigens Are Attractive Targets
- Neoantigens provide truly cancer-specific markers that distinguish tumor from normal tissue.
- Targeting them could permit selective tumor killing while sparing healthy cells.