Mary L. (Nora) Disis, MD

Developing vaccines to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Impact

Forty percent of adults in the United States have obesity. The inflammation found in the fatty tissue of individuals with obesity results in significant metabolic stress and imbalances of the immune cells which can lead to the development of breast cancer. Dr. Disis and her team have created an anti-inflammatory vaccine (ADVac) targeting proteins highly expressed in inflammatory fat, one of the first vaccines designed to lower the risk of developing breast cancer.

Progress Thus Far

Dr. Disis and her team have showed that a new DNA-based version of the vaccine produces strong immune responses and restores healthy metabolism in laboratory models that mimic breast cancer in humans. These promising findings suggest that ADVac can reprogram harmful fat-associated inflammation and may help prevent breast cancer before it starts.

What’s next

The team will finalize the ADVac vaccine design by optimizing its dose, components, and genetic sequence. Using advanced molecular and genetic tools, they will also study how the vaccines affect metabolism in fat, tumor, and immune cells. With a focus on understanding how a type of immune cell called T-cells regain function, Dr. Disis and her team will test whether combining ADVac with metformin, a widely used type 2 diabetes drug that lowers blood sugar levels, further corrects defects induced by inflammatory fat and lower cancer risk faster. They will also assess long-term safety, focusing on side effects in the heart, liver, and gut.