As reports Nature Medicine, a drug called ELI-002 2P has been developed by US scientists to fight pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer. These cancers are resistant to treatment and also have a high likelihood of recurrence later in life. The development targets mutations in the KRAS gene, which are present in the vast majority of patients. It is a ready-made drug that does not require individual adaptation for each patient, which significantly simplifies and accelerates treatment.
The vaccine directs active components directly to the lymph nodes, where key cells of the immune system are concentrated. This is most significant for patients with pancreatic cancer, for whom recurrence after standard therapy is almost inevitable. The vaccine offers hope in the face of a limited choice of effective treatments, according to medical oncologist Zev Weinberg.
The clinical trial involved 25 patients with signs of possible disease recurrence after surgery to remove the tumor. A course of injections contributed to the production of T-cells capable of recognizing and attacking cells with a mutated KRAS gene in 84% of patients. Also, in 24% of the subjects, cancer biomarkers completely disappeared..
Some trial participants remained cancer-free for long periods of time, averaging nearly 20 months after treatment. The overall median recurrence-free survival was 16.33 months, and overall median survival reached 28.94 months. These rates significantly exceed standard prognoses for these aggressive cancers. Patients with a strong response to the vaccine did not experience a return of the disease and lived markedly longer.
