A small Halifax laboratory has received permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct human trials on a cancer "vaccine."

Immunovaccine Inc.., a publicly-traded biotechnology company created 10 years ago at Dalhousie University, will test the therapeutic cancer vaccine, which has been dubbed DPX-0907.

The vaccine is designed to stimulate the body's immune system to seek out and destroy cancer cells in patients with breast, ovarian and prostate cancer.

Genevieve Weir, a research project manager for Immunovaccine, emphasized that the vaccine is unique both in its content and oil-based delivery system, called DepoVax.

"It contains seven different antigens to target seven different pathways in cancer," she told CTV Atlantic in Halifax. "The vaccine itself will stay in the body for two weeks, but the immune response is long-lasting and will be maintained over several years."

With the administration's approval, Immunovaccine will conduct the first phase of human clinical trials in five cities in the U.S., said Brian Lowe, the company's vice-president.

"If we can have success through phase one of human clinical trials, that will prove that our technology is safe on humans," he told CTV Atlantic.

After the safety testing phase, the vaccine will then need to pass two more levels of testing to be approved. If there are no problems, it may available on the market by 2015.

Twenty patients whose cancer is in remission will participate in the first phase. They will test the safety and tolerability of Immunovaccine's patented DepoVax delivery system and its seven antigens.

If these trials are successful, then the number of tested patients will increase in the second phase, which Lowe said will cost from $22 million to $25 million. The third and final phase will be the most expensive, costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Lowe said he is confident that the vaccine will be successful.

"We feel after a phase two and proven success, we will be able to partner with Big Pharma (the largest pharmaceutical companies in the U.S.) with an enhanced value proposition," he said.

Wier added that she is encouraged by the FDA's support.

"For them to say... 'it meets the standard, it looks promising, go ahead and inject into humans; we're confident in you,' it's wonderful," she said.