Training our immune systems to fight cancer has been an appealing prospect among scientists for decades.

Stanford researchers are on track to begin human trials of a potentially potent new weapon against cancer that does exactly that.

A team working with Ronald Levy, MD, professor of oncology at the Stanford School of Medicine and pioneer in the field of cancer immunotherapy, published results in March that showed it's possible to perpetuate an anti-cancer immune response in laboratory mice.

"We have found in animal experiments that by injecting certain monoclonal antibodies into cancer in one place in the body we can trigger the immune system to fight cancer throughout the body," Levy said. "This result has the potential to change the way we use the immune system to treat cancer."

The work has led to preparation for 2014 human clinical trials for patients with melanoma, lymphoma and colon cancers.

(READ an article in the NY Post – and Stanford.edu for more details)