The new breast cancer vaccine being developed by Arkansas scientists brings hope for breast cancer patients. A group of scientists at the University of Arkansas have been working on the vaccine for over a decade.

The vaccine is expected to supplement the traditional methods and chemotherapy. It would also ensure that the disease does not recur.

According to Laura Hutchins, the principal investigator, Professor Thomas Kieber-Emmons, Director of basic breast cancer research at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the researchers had worked on studying the immune system for over a decade to make this vaccine. The chief success of the research was an understanding as to how different molecules work together to combat disease.

The trials of the vaccine will be carried out in phases. In the first phase, trial will be conducted on breast cancer patients whose cancer has been spreading vigorously and whose cancer has recurred after a recession. The trial phase would last for four to six months. The patients will be administered five doses of the vaccine.

The second phase will last about a year. In this phase trials would be conducted on women whose breast cancer is decreasing but it is likely to recur. These patients would be taken off chemotherapy for at least six months.