Family, friends farewell vaccine pioneer

Louise Bare was supposed to celebrate her 37th birthday in Palmerston North today, but instead, friends and family gathered for her funeral.

The Palmerston North woman, who had been on a pioneering cancer vaccine trial as her last hope to overcome brain cancer, died at the weekend after becoming too ill to continue with the therapy in January.

The wake for the woman with big blue eyes, a wicked sense of humour and a passion for parties was planned to go ahead at the Celtic Inn, where she worked at times as a barmaid and organiser of musical entertainment.

Most recently, she worked for King and Teppett at Modena.

Ms Bare went public about her part in a trial to help find a treatment for glioblastoma multiforme last year after her second brain surgery in just over two years.

The Malaghan Institute trial involved use of the recently-subsidised cancer-fighting drug Temodal alongside a personalised vaccine.

The vaccine was made by extracting some of her white cells, bulking them up in the laboratory, and mixing them up with some of her own cancer cells. The theory is that the immune system cells become "educated" at targeting and killing remaining cancer cells when they are injected back.

Neurosurgeon and researcher Martin Hunn said the trial was continuing, looking to recruit another nine patients.

He said Ms Bare's death was tragic – "it's people like her who motivate us to do something about finding a treatment for such a terrible disease."

Ms Bare had been one of only three recruits so far. One patient was doing "exceptionally well" and showing no evidence of recurrent disease.

Another was removed because not enough of his dendritic cells could be cultivated in the laboratory to create the vaccine. Dr Hunn said a screening test was being tested to help predict the problem.

"We learnt a lot from him and he saw that as very worthwhile."

Ms Bare's father, menswear shop owner Ralph Bare, said his daughter's part in the trial had created a great deal of interest in cancer research in New Zealand.

"It would be lovely to hope that they learnt something from it – that was her whole reason for doing it."

She is survived by her father, partner and two brothers. Her mother, Carol, died from another kind of brain tumour in 2002.

- © Fairfax NZ News