Experimental mRNA Vaccine Shows Promise in Fighting Deadly Pancreatic Cancer

An experimental vaccine for pancreatic cancer is showing real potential as a new therapeutic approach. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York are excited about their messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine, which appears to reduce the risk of the disease returning after surgery, according to a press release. Published in *Nature*, the phase 1 clinical trial revealed that the vaccine successfully triggered an immune response in a small group of patients. What's super interesting is that this immune-cell activation persisted for nearly four years after treatment. Patients who received the vaccine and showed a strong immune response were more likely to remain cancer-free at their three-year follow-up. Dr. Vinod Balachandran, the trial's principal investigator, expressed optimism about the treatment's efficacy. "We find that with RNA vaccine technology, we can teach the immune system to recognize pancreatic cancer, and this immune response could potentially last for many years," he said. "The ability to trigger a robust, long-lasting immune response is a requisite feature for any cancer vaccine." Given that pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, Balachandran was pleasantly surprised by the immune system's response in some patients. He noted that the team is planning a larger study to further test these therapeutic cancer vaccines in patients with surgically removable pancreatic cancer. In the initial trial, the vaccine stimulated an immune response in half of the 16 participants. Each vaccine was personalized to target specific proteins found in the individual's form of the disease. Patients also received an immunotherapy drug (atezolizumab) and standard-of-care chemotherapy after surgery. These therapeutic cancer vaccines, like autogene cevumeran, are designed to treat cancer rather than prevent it. They work by training the immune system to recognize cancer cells as foreign, targeting early-stage cancers that haven't spread and can be surgically removed. The goal is to delay or prevent recurrence. Balachandran believes this approach could potentially be applied to other forms of cancer as well. "If you can do this in pancreatic cancer, theoretically you may be able to develop therapeutic vaccines for other cancer types." Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers, with only about 13% of patients surviving five years after diagnosis, according to MSK and the American Cancer Society. Common therapies like chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapies are "largely ineffective" against pancreatic cancer, making new therapies urgently needed. This is great news for the medical community, and even better news for humanity!