New “Off-the-Shelf” Vaccine Shows Promise Against Pancreatic and Colorectal Cancers

New “Off-the-Shelf” Vaccine Shows Promise Against Pancreatic and Colorectal Cancers
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According to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine and reported by The Guardian, a new “off-the-shelf” vaccine called ELI-002 2P has shown promise in preventing the recurrence of pancreatic and colorectal cancers. This non-personalized vaccine is designed to train the body’s T-cells to identify and destroy cancer cells that carry mutations in the Kras gene.

The study involved 25 patients who had undergone surgery—20 with pancreatic cancer and five with colorectal cancer. Researchers found that patients who had a strong immune response to the vaccine experienced a longer period of remission and overall survival compared to those with a weaker response.

The vaccine’s “off-the-shelf” nature is a significant advantage, as it is expected to be cheaper and faster to access than personalized mRNA jabs. Experts, such as Professor Siow Ming Lee, suggest the vaccine could be used in combination with other immunotherapies and potentially for other cancers with Kras gene mutations, like certain types of lung cancer. However, the study is still considered early-stage research with a small sample size and no control group, and further larger-scale trials are needed to confirm these promising results.