A groundbreaking mRNA cancer vaccine may offer lifelong protection against pancreatic cancer, revolutionizing treatment options for one of the deadliest diseases globally.
Pancreatic cancer is a notoriously lethal disease that affects more than 450,000 people globally every year. Diagnosing it can be tricky due to its location and symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue. Current treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and drugs that attack cancer cells, but the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is around 13 percent.
Pancreatic cancer is a type of cancer that affects the pancreas, an organ responsible for producing digestive enzymes and hormones such as insulin.
According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer accounts for approximately 3% of all cancer cases in the United States.
It is often diagnosed at a late stage, making treatment challenging.
The risk factors include smoking, obesity, diabetes, and family history.
Symptoms may include abdominal pain, weight loss, and fatigue.
Early detection and treatment options are limited, but research continues to explore new therapies.
Cancer vaccines harness the power of the immune system to fight disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already approved dozens of such immunotherapies, including checkpoint inhibitors, therapeutic antibodies, and T-cell transfer therapy. These treatments work by revving up the immune system or helping it spot cancer cells.
Cancer vaccines are medical products that help prevent cancer by boosting the body's immune system.
They work by introducing a small, harmless piece of a virus or bacteria to the body, which triggers an immune response.
This response helps the body recognize and attack 'cancer cells' if they appear in the future.
Cancer vaccines have been developed for several types of cancers, including human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B, and certain types of leukemia.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 'HPV vaccines' have reduced cervical cancer cases by 90% in some countries.
The new mRNA vaccine being tested is a different approach that shows patients’ bodies a tiny, nonfunctional piece of their tumor, serving as a Bat-Signal for the immune system. In response, the body produces immune cells called T cells that can recognize cancer as something that’s not supposed to be there – something that’s to be destroyed.
mRNA vaccines use a piece of genetic material called messenger RNA to instruct cells in the body to produce a specific protein.
This protein triggers an immune response, providing immunity against future infections.
Unlike traditional vaccines, mRNA vaccines do not contain any viral particles or toxins.
They are also highly adaptable and can be quickly modified to address emerging variants.
Clinical trials have shown promising results for various diseases, including COVID-19.
Each individual tumor has a unique combination of genetic mutations, producing mutant tumor proteins that the immune system can recognize like red flags warning danger. Patients receive a personalized vaccine containing RNA sequences that encode those red flags, teaching their immune systems to be on the lookout for cancer cells. The body makes ‘these cells that can recognize the cancer, kill the cancer, and last in the body for long periods of time’ in case the cancer ever comes back.
In a small clinical trial involving pancreatic cancer patients, the vaccine spurred a strong immune response in eight out of 16 participants, generating a legion of red flag-targeting T cells. The results challenged the prevailing wisdom that ‘you could not teach the immune system to recognize pancreatic cancer.’ However, an effective cancer vaccine requires more – the cells need to last and retain function long-term.
The team is now enrolling patients in a larger trial to test whether the vaccine is safe and effective. Vinod Balachandran, a surgical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, hopes that this work could offer a blueprint for developing effective vaccines against even more types of cancer. The future of mRNA cancer vaccines looks promising, but it’s essential to continue supporting research in this critical area.
We are at a critical time where supporting science journalism is more important than ever. Science News and our parent organization, the Society for Science, need your help to strengthen scientific literacy and ensure that important societal decisions are made with science in mind. Please subscribe to Science News and add $16 to expand science literacy and understanding.
- sciencenews.org | An mRNA cancer vaccine may offer long term protection
