High Value Nutraceuticals Masters Scholarship

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. In New Zealand (NZ), Maori women have almost twice the incidence compared with non- Maori women. Cervical cancer is mainly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

Despite the HPV vaccination becoming more available, there are still many cervical cancer patients diagnosed every year in NZ who need effective treatment. Dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen presenting cells uniquely able to induce naïve T cell activation and effector differentiation. DC-based vaccine hence becomes a potentially effective cancer immunotherapy.

However, a DC-based vaccine requires adjuvant(s) to induce effective immune response. We have previously identified that a polysaccharide named fucoidan extracted NZ seaweed Undaria pinnatifida has antiproliferation effect in cultured cervical cancer cells, and the low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF) fraction also exerts immunomodulation effect in vitro.

We have discovered that U. pinnatifida grown in NZ contains a unique LMWF fraction, which has better bioactivities compared with others. We therefore hypothesise that fucoidan, especially the low molecular weight fraction, extracted from NZ seaweed U. pinnatifida, can be developed into an adjuvant to HPV DC-based cancer immunotherapy. It is expected that with the enhanced response, the combination immunotherapy will become an effective treatment for cervical cancer.

The overall aim of this research is to discover the potential of LMWF extracted from NZ seaweed U. pinnatifida to be developed into an adjuvant in cervical cancer immunotherapy. The specific aims are: 1) successfully obtain LMWF and develop a LMWF formulation as a potential immune-adjuvant; 2) study LMWF’s ability to stimulate DC proliferation and maturation and its effect as an immuno-adjuvant in a cell culture system. The main outcome will be an immuno-adjuvant to be developed and ready to be applied in the clinical setting. Such new use will be attractive to researchers around the world, and we will submit the results to high impact journal for publication. An effective immuno-adjuvant may lead to a successful immunotherapy for cervical cancer, which will benefit all patients.