Pancreatic, colorectal cancer recurrence: An experimental “off-the-shelf” vaccine has shown encouraging early results in preventing the return of pancreatic and colorectal cancers, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.
Unlike many cancer vaccines, which are customised for an individual’s tumour and often use mRNA technology, this one, called ELI-002 2P, is not personalised and is already being produced at scale. If confirmed in larger trials, researchers believe it could provide patients with a faster, more affordable, and potentially less toxic option.
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The vaccine trains the immune system’s T-cells to recognise and destroy cancer cells carrying mutations in the Kras gene, which is altered in about 90% of pancreatic cancers and 50% of colorectal cancers. These mutations cause the production of abnormal proteins that drive tumour growth.
The trial involved 20 patients who had surgery for pancreatic cancer and five who had surgery for colorectal cancer. All received the ELI-002 2P vaccine, which contains synthetic peptides designed to mimic parts of the altered Kras protein.
At a median follow-up of nearly 20 months, 17 patients who mounted a strong immune response to the vaccine experienced longer periods without recurrence and survived longer overall compared to those with a weaker response. Four of the strong-response group died during follow-up, versus seven of the eight in the weaker-response group.
While the findings are promising, researchers caution that the study was small, lacked a control group, and involved two different cancer types. Prof Zev Wainberg, co-author of the study and oncologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the results suggest patients with a strong immune response to the jab “have a greater likelihood of not having their cancer return and living longer compared to historical expectations.”
