A new experimental vaccine has shown promising results in preventing the recurrence of pancreatic and colorectal cancers, offering hope for an “off the shelf” treatment that can train the immune system to attack malignancies.
Researchers administered the peptide vaccine, ELI-002 2P, to 25 patients who had received conventional treatments but still had small amounts of cancer left in their bodies. The results showed that half of the patients had no relapse by 16.3 months and median overall survival was 28.9 months, exceeding historical norms.
The vaccine targets the KRAS mutation found in 90% of pancreatic cancers and 50% of colorectal cancers. Patients with strong T cell responses saw the greatest benefit, with 17 out of 25 patients experiencing strong immune responses at the 20-month mark.
While the results are encouraging, researchers do not yet understand why eight of the 23 patients did not develop a strong immune response to the vaccine. However, the study’s lead author notes that the non-personalized vaccine has potential for wider development and distribution.
The findings have significant implications for pancreatic cancer treatment, which has a low five-year survival rate in the US. The development of new treatments targeting similar mutations could transform the disease within two years, with researchers aiming to eventually “graduate” from chemotherapy in certain cases.
Source: https://www.axios.com/2025/08/14/vaccine-pancreatic-colorectal-cancer-study