21/12/2025
AI does a pretty good job if you Google "Jeffrey Deslandes vaccine"...
Jeffrey Deslandes is a prominent Australian cancer survivor and patient advocate known for his use of a personalized cancer vaccine to treat his Stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which led to a long-term remission after traditional chemotherapy treatments failed.
His Story and the Vaccine
Diagnosis and Traditional Treatment:
Deslandes was diagnosed with advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1999 and underwent four separate courses of chemotherapy and monoclonal antibody therapy.
The Decision for the Vaccine:
When his cancer relapsed for the fourth time in 2006, his specialist recommended high-dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. Instead, Deslandes opted for an experimental, personalized vaccine therapy developed and trialed by Associate Professor Andrew Nicol.
The Vaccine Type:
The therapy involved creating a one-of-a-kind vaccine from a diseased lymph node from his own body. This process "reeducated" his immune system to identify and destroy his specific cancer cells.
Outcome:
Jeffrey's progress was remarkable; he became disease-free and remained so for over a decade following the treatment, which had minimal side effects compared to chemotherapy.
Advocacy and Legacy
Deslandes documented his journey in the book From Cancer Good Things Grow. He has been a guest speaker and volunteer, sharing his story to inspire other patients and raise awareness about emerging therapies.
The Grace Gawler Institute, a cancer charity with which Deslandes is affiliated, helps other patients access similar, improved versions of these personalized cancer vaccines through a global medical alliance, as the original treatment is no longer available in Australia but can be accessed in Asia.
