Cancer Vaccine is a good news for humankind & Stellar Biotechnologies a California based company leading the way to achieve that goal in near future. Researchers use the blood of keyhole limpet’s (Megathura crenulata) to extract Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) which is the main ingredient of the new cancer vaccine.
This particular keyhole limpets are a type of mollusks that lives off the coast of California from Monterey Bay to Isla Asuncion. Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) is a large metalloprotein same size as a virus which carries oxygen in keyhole limpet’s blood. By administering KLH in to human blood stream it’s produce a high immune response from the immune system. KLH is non toxic as other synthetic alternatives & it can simulate the immune system to fight against target cancer cells if it’s attached with relevant markers. KLH is the key to break tolerance between human body and cancer cells.
Stellar Biotechnologies, currently harvesting their keyhole limpets supply from a aquaculture farm near Port Hueneme, California. If this KLH based cancer vaccine is approved by FDA (Food and Drug Administration), it’ll open a door for new industry of farming keyhole limpets in industrial scale.
Information Source: Stellar Biotechnologies , Wikipedia
Image Credits: Joe McKenna