Pancreatic Cancer MRNA Vaccine Shows Lasting Results In Early Trial

Source: Slashdot

Background

NBC News reports on a 16‑person clinical trial of personalized messenger RNA vaccines that use the immune system to fight cancer cells. The goal is not to eliminate existing tumors, but to stamp out lingering, undetected cancer cells and any new cells that form before they can cause a recurrence.

Patients still undergo surgery to remove tumors. After surgery, the mRNA vaccines are personalized for each individual using genetic material taken from their unique tumor cells. In the trial, patients also received standard post‑operative chemotherapy for operable pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with less than 13 % of diagnosed individuals living more than five years (SEER statistics).

Trial Details

• Phase: 1
• Participants: 16 (8 responded to the vaccine)
• Vaccine: Personalized mRNA derived from each patient’s tumor tissue
• Administration: Nine doses of the vaccine, followed by standard chemotherapy

Dr. Vinod Balachandran, director of the vaccine center leading the trial, noted uncertainty about whether the immune response would be durable enough to extend patients’ lives.

Results

• After nine vaccine doses, participant Donna Gustafson and seven other responders generated a robust T‑cell response targeting tumor cells.
• Six years after treatment, Gustafson and six of the responders remain alive.
• New data from a six‑year follow‑up will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting in San Diego.

Future Research

• Phase 2 trial: Genentech and BioNTech, the developers of the personalized vaccine, have launched a larger Phase 2 study.
• Off‑the‑shelf vaccine: Another team is testing a KRAS‑targeted vaccine (KRAS is present in up to 90 % of pancreatic cancers). In an early trial, about 85 % of participants mounted an immune response to the protein (NBC News article).

Further research is needed to confirm long‑term benefits and to determine whether these vaccine approaches can improve overall survival for pancreatic cancer patients.