New vaccine against 2 dangerous cancers: Promising results

Pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer are two of the most difficult cancers to treat, with very high recurrence rates.

In a study recently published in the medical journal Nature Medicine , American scientists have developed a new vaccine that has shown encouraging initial results, opening up new hope for patients with these types of cancer, according to the science news site Science Alert.

The vaccine was developed by American scientists, including Massachusetts General Hospital, University of California, University of Iowa, North Shore University Hospital, University of Colorado School of Medicine, City of Hope Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center - University of Texas, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Elicio Therapeutics, a biotechnology company specializing in developing new immunotherapies to treat aggressive, advanced cancers.

New vaccine can fight two dangerous cancers: pancreatic and colorectal - Illustration: AI

The new vaccine, called ELI-002 2P, targets the KRAS gene mutation, which is responsible for 93% of pancreatic cancers and 50% of colorectal cancers. This mutation is difficult to target in cancer treatment.

The special feature of ELI-002 2P is its ability to deliver the active agent of the vaccine directly to the lymph nodes, where many types of immune cells are concentrated. From there, it "trains" the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells carrying the KRAS mutation.

This is a promising advance for patients with KRAS-mutant cancers, especially pancreatic cancer, which is almost certain to recur after standard treatment and has very few effective treatment options, said Dr. Zev Wainberg, a cancer specialist at the University of California.

Promising results

In the trial, the vaccine was given to 25 patients, including 20 who had undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer and five who had undergone surgery for colorectal cancer. However, tests showed that they still had signs of cancer that could return.

The results were encouraging: After receiving the vaccine, 84% of patients developed T cells specific to the KRAS mutation, which are able to attack cancer cells. Notably, in 24% of participants, any remaining traces of the tumor completely disappeared, according to Science Alert.

Of those with the strongest immune response (17 of the 24), the majority remained cancer-free after nearly 20 months of follow-up – a remarkable result for these two cancers with poor prognoses. At the same time, they had a median survival time much longer than would normally be expected.

Another highlight: This is an “off-the-shelf” vaccine that doesn’t need to be personalized for each person, so it can be widely used.

Further trials will continue to assess efficacy and safety, but given the high mortality and recurrence rates of pancreatic and colorectal cancers, these early results suggest the new vaccine could significantly extend life for patients.

Dr. Wainberg concluded: “The new vaccine demonstrates the ability to safely and effectively train the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer-causing mutations. This approach has the potential to create a precise, durable immune response without the need for complex personalized vaccines.”

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vac-xin-moi-chong-2-loai-ung-thu-nguy-hiem-hieu-qua-day-hua-hen-185250825154044879.htm