Cancer Vaccine Institute News

Last week, KING 5 News featured ongoing research at the Cancer Vaccine Institute (CVI) to develop COLOVAC , a preventive vaccine designed to stop colon cancer before it starts. The segment included interviews with CVI Director Dr. Nora Disis and Becky Bruhn, a Seattle resident whose recent cancerous polyp illustrates the importance of early detection and need for new prevention tools. Colon cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States, and rat

Dr. Denise Cecil, CVI Principal Scientist. PC: AP Photos Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, with diagnoses rising among adults under 55. In response, the Cancer Vaccine Institute (CVI) at UW Medicine is developing COLOVAC, a first-in-class vaccine designed to intercept colon cancer at its earliest stages, offering hope to those at the highest risk. Rising Colon Cancer Risk Colon cancer remains one of the most consequential cancers o

The Cancer Vaccine Institute (CVI) is proud to share our 2025 Year in Review that highlights our research and achievements. We made remarkable progress last year, advancing vaccines in clinical trials, moving vaccines in our preclinical pipeline forward, and sharing our research with the community. We are especially grateful to our patients, scientists, clinicians, collaborators, staff, faculty, and supporters. Your ongoing partnership and scientific leadership accelerates re

The Cancer Vaccine Institute (CVI) took park in the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium from December 9-12, 2025, bringing our latest research to one of the world's leading forums for breast cancer science. Faculty members from the CVI presented four scientific posters with fellow collaborators, researchers, and scientists. Through these presentations, the CVI team highlighted recent discoveries in HER2-targeted vaccines, neoadjuvant immunotherapy, and findings from our

Dr. Ying Liu presented this study at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium At the UW Cancer Vaccine Institute, we are working to develop vaccines that train the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer. At the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, we shared new data comparing two of our HER2-targeted therapeutic vaccine platforms for people with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer. About 20% of all breast cancers overexpress the HER2 protein, which can make