When Donald Trump promoted a vast plan to speed cancer vaccines with artificial intelligence, Anna Bochenski paid close attention. The 53-year-old New Yorker believes such shots gave her years she was told she would not have.

In early 2021, Anna’s aggressive breast cancer returned. It had spread to her ribs and spine after surgeries, chemotherapy, and 32 rounds of radiation. Doctors warned she had little time. As a last option, she enrolled in a Mount Sinai trial of an experimental vaccine injected directly into a tumor.

The approach aimed to rouse the immune system. A series of injections helped “teacher” immune cells recognize cancer, then coached T cells to hunt it elsewhere. After the first dose, she shook with chills—frightening, yet a sign of immune activation. Within weeks, growths in her back vanished, the large mass under her arm melted away, and another tumor shrank.

Anna still receives treatment because her cancer later changed. However, she says the vaccine created the opening that saved her life. She hopes next-generation shots—potentially designed faster with AI—will reach more patients.

Researchers worldwide are now testing tailored vaccines, including those built from a tumor’s genetic code. In theory, AI could speed design and manufacturing, cutting months to days and lowering costs. The science is still evolving, and not every patient will respond. Even so, Anna’s experience offers a clear message: for some people with advanced disease, immune-based vaccines may provide a vital second chance.