Based on a novel approach by American and Chinese scientists, it is being projected that human stem cells may potentially help develop a cancer vaccine, particularly to combat colon cancer, and possibly even other types of cancers.

The researchers, who focused their work chiefly on colon cancer, engineered stem cells to ape some attributes of cancer that, upon injection into the body, deceive the body into building up a natural immunity to the disease.

For the momentous study, published online in journal Stem Cells on October 7, the researchers administered vaccinations with human embryonic stem cells to mice. It was discovered that the vaccine helped mice develop a steady immune response against colon cancer cells. As such, tumor growth declined dramatically in the vaccinated mice vis-à-vis the non-vaccinated mice.

About the theory, lead researcher Dr. Zihai Li - of the University of Connecticut Stem Cell Institute – said in a press release: “Cancer and stem cells share many molecular and biological features. By immunizing the host with stem cells, we are able to 'fool' the immune system to believe that cancer cells are present and thus to initiate a tumor-combating immune program.”

Li added that the new approach is quite akin to a regular vaccination - which mimics the disease it vaccinates against, and builds up natural immunity – and can be duly extended to provide a “universal cancer vaccine.”