Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DN0-HNvXPcP/

An already FDA-approved cancer vaccine was spectacularly effective in controlling pancreatic cancers that carry the KRAS markers. A multi-center phase 1 study, helmed by oncologists at New York’s Sloan Kettering and Texas’ MD Anderson, studied the vaccine labeled ELI-002 developed by Boston’s Elicio Therapeutics.

The results demonstrated that the vaccine can trigger a vigorous killer T cell response to this KRAS marker carried by 88% of pancreatic cancers. They also showed that 65% of patients who mounted this T cell response to the vaccine enjoyed no radiographic progression of their cancers. Even more exciting, five of the sewpatients were free of tumor relapse without any subsequent therapy following the vaccine. When the study ended after nearly 20 months, these excellent responders were all alive without evidence of cancer recurrence. In contrast, the untreated controls developed cancer relapses in an average of 3 months and only survived an average of 15 months.

Unlike most cancer vaccines that are custom produced for each patient’s tumor, ELI-002 can be mass produced making it readily available for administration and less expensive. A phase 2 trial of the vaccine is already in progress.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with only about 13% of patients surviving five years after diagnosis and recurrence rates as high as 80% within two years of surgery. Hopefully, this vaccine immunotherapy will help change those dismal statistics.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03876-4

#cancer #pancreatic #vaccine #ELI002 #elicio #iommunotherapy