Back from Seattle

michele u · 08-14-2005, 09:10 PM

Had my 3rd vaccine last Thursdy. This one kinda caught me for a loop. I was very achy and slept 17 hours straight yesterday. It was a fast trip. Flew up Thursday and came home Friday.
I learned alot from Dr. Salazar. She explained the vaccine alittle bit more. the DNA vacine that i got has at least 2-3 proteins already attached to it when it is given. Like some of the vaccines out there are p53 proteins. The DNA vaccines has proteins already attached to them from down the line of making it. So it could have p53,Her2,E75(ithink is one), and alot more they don't know of yet. The vaccine at Univer of Nebraska is a dendrite vaccine, so it has one protein hooked to it, and i think it is p53. The great thing i found out it, they have a new Dr. that is doing his fellowship there and he is interested in doing a trial on giving booster vaccines to us that have had the trial. I was very excited about that. I told him to put me on the list!!The other thing that i'm very excited about it that they are now doing harvesting of the cells from the blood after vaccine that does the fighting of the cancer. So they harvest these "fighting cells" and freeze them. Then if i have a recurrence and standard chemo is not working they will unfreeze these cells, grow them in a dish then infuse them back into me and hopefully they will fight the cancer. Great things happening!! If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me

StephN · 08-14-2005, 10:43 PM

Great news! Thanks for the update and some more in depth info on how the vaccine works and what they foresee as future possibilities from this trial.
Yes, it was a very hurried trip for you, but I am very glad I saw you for a little while and got to meet Scott. Super that he was there for you with the after effects of the shot. Can't be any worse than any of the rest of the procedures the docs put us through to keep us going! And some solid sleep won't hurt us.

I have yet to hear if the FDA has allowed the eligibility modifications requested by the UW group. Guess I will get on the "horn" tomorrow to get a progress report.

michele u · 08-15-2005, 08:16 AM

Steph,
I talked to Dr. Salazar about you! She said she's getting closer to accepting you!

StephN · 08-15-2005, 03:17 PM

Thanks for that news, Michele!
Guess I am still on their "list." Wish I could start that trial right away, as I look at it as another arrow in my "quiver."
Being hormone neg, Herceptin is the only thing keeping the cancer beat down at this point. Doing the job so far, so I can't complain, just want more back up.

sherri · 09-28-2005, 03:57 PM

Dear Michelle,
It seems UW has accepted me for the DNA Vaccine? Is this the same one you participated?
A Phase I Study of a DNA Plasmid Based Vaccine Endocing the HER-2/neu Intracellular Domain in Subjects with Her-2/neu (HER2) Overexpressing Tumors.

Please let me know.

michele u · 09-28-2005, 09:08 PM

Sherri, Yes it is the same! you can email me at mulmer@mainstaycomm.net with any questions. They are soooo nice there. You can see a picture of me and Dr. Salazar back a little ways in the posts. The Ramada Inn northgate has a contract with UW for cheap rooms. I get them for 49$ a night and they have a shuttle that will take you to the University. They don't have a shuttle to the airport though