Off to U. of Washington - Steph

[JoJo]

Hi Steph,

What does A2 stand for?

I've never heard of it.

Take care! Hugs

[Steph N]

Hi Jojo -
We are getting into a rarified area of genetics when we talk about A2 and our allele numbers. HLA stands for Human Leukocyte Antigens.
In order to qualify for the particular trial that Kim is going in to, one must have a very specific number on a very specific gene. This vaccine is a peptide based one will use the HLA-A2 peptide base to produce antibodies against HER-2 at a specific place INSIDE the cancer cells.
The vaccine is designed to work with a greater population by targeting the A2 area - unfortunately not all of us have 2 as ouir number at that site on our genetic thread.
Hope this helps!

[Janet]

Hi Steph,
Thanks for the explaination--I was going to ask the same question as JoJo. I'm new here and alot of times I don't know what things mean. Thanks again.
Take care
Janet in NJ