The History of Cancer Vaccines at MSK

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.

How Cancer Vaccines Work

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 mRNA 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.

Goals of The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK

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 access for patients, MSK’s clinical trials, innovation, access for patients, and the team leading this unprecedented effort to drive discoveries that will reduce suffering and save lives. 

Here’s how to get a cancer vaccine:

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.

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.

Our Team
The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK (OCCV)