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New York City: Dr. Vinod Balachandran, a surgeon-scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), has developed a personalized mRNA vaccine showing promise in treating pancreatic cancer.
In a recent phase I clinical trial, the vaccine activated immune responses in patients, potentially reducing cancer recurrence.
Key Facts:
- In a trial of 16 patients, 8 exhibited strong immune responses to the vaccine, with 6 remaining cancer-free over three years post-treatment.
- The vaccine targets neoantigens—unique proteins from tumor-specific mutations—to train the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
- Dr. Balachandran's research has earned recognition, including the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Trailblazer Prize in 2023.
Approximately seven years ago, Dr. Balachandran's team observed that certain pancreatic cancer patients with longer post-surgery survival had tumors enriched with T cells—immune cells capable of recognizing cancer cells.
These T cells targeted neoantigens, leading to the development of a personalized mRNA vaccine in collaboration with BioNTech and Genentech.
The vaccine's success has brought hope to patients like those in the trial, where half showed strong immune responses, and six remained cancer-free for over three years.
This advancement signifies a potential shift in pancreatic cancer treatment, offering a new avenue for combating a disease with limited effective therapies.
The vaccine's ability to generate durable immune responses could lead to improved survival rates and quality of life for patients.
Dr. Balachandran's groundbreaking work has garnered accolades, including the FNIH Trailblazer Prize in 2023, highlighting the significance of his contributions to cancer research.
Do You Know?
Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates among cancers, with only about 13% of patients surviving five years after diagnosis. (Source: pancan.org)
Key Terms:
mRNA (messenger RNA): A type of genetic material that instructs cells to produce specific proteins.
Neoantigens: Unique proteins formed by tumor-specific mutations, recognized by the immune system as foreign.
T cells: A type of white blood cell that plays a central role in the immune response by identifying and attacking foreign invaders.