Verastem publishes RAMP 201 trial data in Journal of Clinical Oncology
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New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
Promising cancer vaccine could prevent recurrence of pancreatic, colorectal tumors
An experimental cancer vaccine has shown promise in keeping certain cancers from coming back. In a phase 1 clinical trial led in part by the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, researchers tested the vaccine (ELI-002 2P) with 25 patients who had been treated for pancreatic and colorectal cancer. Advertisement The patients had all undergone surgery to remove tumors and showed 'signs of minimal residual disease' or traces of DNA, putting them at a high risk of recurrence, according to a UCLA press release. More than 80% of pancreatic cancer patients experience recurrence of the disease after surgery, research shows — and for 40% to 50%, this happens within the first year. For colorectal cancer, the recurrence rate is between 30% and 50% and is most likely to occur within the first two years after surgery. Mutations in the KRAS gene are responsible for half of colorectal cancers and more than 90% of pancreatic cancers. The vaccine, which targets those mutations, was given via a series of injections to activate an immune response in the lymph nodes. Advertisement 4 A phase 1 clinical trial indicates that a vaccine may prevent pancreatic and colorectal cancer from coming back. InsideCreativeHouse – A majority (21 out of 25) of the patients generated 'KRAS-specific T cells,' which indicates a stronger immune response. The ones with higher T-cell responses showed a longer relapse-free survival compared to those with lower responses, the researchers found. For three colorectal cancer patients and three pancreatic cancer patients, the vaccine appeared to remove all disease biomarkers. Among the patients who showed the strongest immune response, a majority were still cancer-free nearly 20 months after receiving the vaccine. Advertisement 4 The vaccine appeared to remove all disease biomarkers for three colorectal cancer patients out of the 25 pancreatic and colorectal cancer patients that were part of the trial. Jo Panuwat D – The findings were published in Nature Medicine. 'This is an exciting advance for patients with KRAS-driven cancers, particularly pancreatic cancer, where recurrence after standard treatment is almost a given and effective therapies are limited,' said first author of the study, Zev Wainberg, M.D., professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and researcher in the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, in the release. 'We observed that patients who developed strong immune responses to the vaccine remained disease-free and survived for much longer than expected.' Advertisement 4 'We observed that patients who developed strong immune responses to the vaccine remained disease-free and survived for much longer than expected,' Zev Wainberg, M.D., the first author of the study, said. manassanant – 'The new cancer vaccine from UCLA is very promising as a major tool against these cancers.' In another finding, 67% of the patients in the trial showed immune responses to 'additional tumor-associated mutations,' indicating that the vaccine could be used to suppress 'broader anti-tumor activity.' One of the benefits of ELI-002 2P, according to the researchers, is that it's considered 'off-the-shelf,' which means it's a mass-produced, standardized vaccine that doesn't have to be personalized for each individual patient. 'This study shows that the ELI-002 2P vaccine can safely and effectively train the immune system to recognize and fight cancer-driving mutations,' Wainberg said. 4 67% of the patients in the trial showed immune responses to 'additional tumor-associated mutations,' indicating that the vaccine could be used to suppress 'broader anti-tumor activity.' – 'It offers a promising approach to generating precise and durable immune responses without the complexity or cost of fully personalized vaccines.' The team has already finished enrolling participants for a phase 2 study that will test ELI-002 7P, the next iteration of the vaccine that will target a 'broader set' of KRAS mutations, the release stated. Advertisement The study was sponsored and funded by Elicio Therapeutics, the Massachusetts company that developed the vaccine. It was conducted in conjunction with the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but commented that targeted therapies are becoming increasingly important tools in the fight against cancer. Advertisement 'Solid tumors, especially pancreatic, can be difficult to treat because they are not as mutagenic (capable of inducing or causing mutations) as hematological malignancies (blood cancers) or melanoma, for example, so they don't have as many ready targets for immunotherapy,' he told Fox News Digital. 'The new cancer vaccine from UCLA is very promising as a major tool against these cancers, as it 'programs' the immune system to target these mutations and has been shown in the NATURE study to elicit a strong clinical response.'
Axios
3 days ago
- Axios
Off-the-shelf vaccine shows success against deadly cancers
An experimental vaccine targeting one of the most common genetic drivers of hard-to-treat pancreatic and colorectal cancers prevented their recurrence, raising hopes for an "off the shelf" treatment that can train the immune system to attack malignancies. Why it matters: If shown effective in further trials, the vaccine could become a particularly important tool in staving off the return of pancreatic cancer, which sees roughly 80% of surgically removed tumors recur within five years. What they're saying:"This was a trial all of us in the medical oncology world have been waiting for," said Tracy Proverbs-Singh, an oncologist at Hackensack Meridian's John Theurer Cancer Center. "We see these patients for five years, we see the recurrences, we have to re-treat them, and it's devastating. And after we finish chemo, there's not a lot we can do." Go deeper: The peptide vaccine targets the KRAS mutation that occurs in roughly 90% of pancreatic cancers and half of colorectal cancers. Researchers administered the shot, called ELI-002 2P, to 25 patients who'd received conventional treatments but still had small amounts of cancer left in their bodies and were at high risk of relapse. Half of patients had no relapse by 16.3 months, and median overall survival was 28.9 months — both exceeding historical norms, per the study in Nature Medicine. The greatest benefit was seen in patients who had strong T cell responses. At the 20-month mark, 17 of the 25 patients had strong immune responses with 11 of those patients having no recurrence and six having delayed recurrence. The latter successfully underwent further treatment. "All the 17 were still alive which is why we think there's optimistically, something real going on here, because that's much better than what we might have expected historically," said Zev Wainberg, co-director of the UCLA GI Oncology Program and one of the lead authors. Yes, but: Researchers do not yet understand why eight of the 23 patients did not develop a strong immune response as a result of the vaccine. Between the lines: Much of the enthusiasm around therapeutic cancer vaccines has centered on personalized mRNA technology. It is notable that researchers were able to use a non-personalized vaccine because it can be more easily developed at scale. "It's a big shot in the arm for the pancreatic cancer vaccine, which has been elusive in the context of us being able to get something that's effective in the early stages," said Madappa Kundranda, division chief for cancer medicine at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. Reality check: This is still a small Phase 1 trial and will require a more robust randomized controlled trial. Wainberg said the team has already completed such a trial and should have results back in 2026. What to watch: Pancreatic cancer, which has a five-year survival rate of around 13% in the U.S., could be treated very differently within the next two years as multiple new drugs targeting the same mutations are also developed.
UPI
5 days ago
- UPI
Clinical trial shows promise for new pancreatic cancer vaccine
A small clinical trial suggests a new vaccine aimed at a common cancer gene mutation could help stop aggressive pancreatic cancers from coming back. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo A new vaccine aimed at a common cancer gene mutation could help stop aggressive pancreatic cancers from coming back, a small clinical trial suggests. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers, with a five-year survival rate of about 13%, according to the American Cancer Society. Further, up to 80% of cases return after treatment, the National Institutes of Health says. "If you were to ask me what disease most needs something to prevent recurrences, I'd say this one," Dr. Zev Wainberg, a leader of the trial, told NBC News. He's co-director of the University of California, Los Angeles gastrointestinal oncology program. The experimental vaccine targets KRAS gene mutations, which are found in about 25% of all cancers, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center says. This includes up to 90% of pancreatic cancers and roughly 40% of colon cancers. While these mutations have long been considered impossible to treat with drugs, researchers are finding new ways to target them. The vaccine, called ELI-002 2P, uses small chains of amino acids called peptides to train the immune system to spot and destroy cells with KRAS mutations. Unlike many cancer vaccines that are custom-made for each patient, this one is designed to be off the shelf, meaning it doesn't require the tumor to be sequenced before it's used, NBC News reported. The Phase 1 study -- reported Tuesday in Nature Medicine -- included 20 people with pancreatic cancer and five with colon cancer. All had KRAS mutations and had already undergone surgery and chemotherapy. Blood tests after surgery showed microscopic evidence of residual disease - cancer cells too small to see on scans. These leftover cells can cause the cancer to spread and return. Post-surgery, participants received up to six priming doses of the vaccine, with 13 also getting booster shots. In all, the process took six months. Here's what the results showed: 85% (21 of 25 participants) had an immune response to the KRAS mutations. About two-thirds of those had a strong enough response to help clear lingering cancer cells. Nearly 70% developed immunity to other tumor targets not included in the vaccine. A few "super-responders" had exceptionally strong immune reactions and the best outcomes. In the pancreatic cancer group, patients survived for an average of 29 months, staying recurrence-free for more than 15 months after vaccination. "That far exceeds the rates with resectable [surgically removable] cancers," Wainberg said. Cancer vaccines have been difficult to create because cancer cells share many proteins with healthy cells, making safe targets hard to find. Advances in mRNA technology and faster gene sequencing are now making more effective cancer vaccines possible. The peptides in this vaccine also have a unique "tail" that helps them stay in lymph nodes, where immune cells are activated -- a feature past peptide vaccines didn't have, said Stephanie Dougan, an associate professor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, who was not involved in the study. More research is needed to confirm the findings, and a Phase 2 trial is now underway to compare the vaccine with standard care. "The fact that the long-term survival really correlated with T-cell response suggests that the vaccine caused this," Dougan said, referring to the specific immune cells activated by the vaccine. "The idea that you can target KRAS is really exciting." More information The Mayo Clinic has more on pancreatic cancer. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
