A groundbreaking new vaccine has shown promise in the prevention of pancreatic cancer in an early study at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.
The phase 1 trial, which tested the experimental vaccine called mKRAS-VAX, involved 20 participants who had an inherited risk of the most common and aggressive form of pancreatic cancer, known as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Participants had not been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but had an abnormality detected in imaging, typically a pancreatic cyst. The vaccine targeted six common mutations of the KRAS gene, which drives more than 90% of PDACs.
Four injections of the vaccine were administered to participants over several weeks, along with a booster at week 13. The vaccine triggered a mutant KRAS-targeted immune response in 18 of the 20 participants, with immune activity increasing by an average of 18-fold.
The researchers found that the vaccine generated two types of T cells, one to attack abnormal cells and another to provide longer-term immune memory. The vaccine appeared to be safe, with participants experiencing only injection-site reactions and temporary flu-like symptoms.
After 16.5 months of follow-up, no participants had developed pancreatic cancer, and 37.5% of vaccinated participants experienced shrinkage or disappearance of the pancreatic cysts that had put them at increased risk for the disease.
Study co-authors noted that the long-lasting response of this vaccine is particularly noteworthy and could be a crucial step in preventing cancer in high-risk individuals.
Researchers emphasized the need for further studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of this vaccine and to find the best vaccine approaches, targets, and timing for vaccination.
Prevention and interception have the potential to save lives and reduce the morbidity associated with cancer development and progression, making this research a significant step forward in the fight against cancer.
