Summary from ScienceFriday — “mRNA Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer” (with Dr. Vinod Balachandran)
Episode: “mRNA Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer Continues to Show Promise”
Release Date: August 22, 2025
Podcast: Science Friday
Episode Summary
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Focus on Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine
A research team at Memorial Sloan Kettering is developing an mRNA vaccine targeting pancreatic cancer, which is notoriously hard to treat.- In an initial small-scale clinical trial, 16 pancreatic cancer patients received the vaccine.
- Of those, half (8 patients) showed a strong immune response.
- Follow-up results revealed that in 6 of those responders, the cancer had not relapsed after three years.
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Guest Appearance
The episode features an interview with Dr. Vinod Balachandran, an associate attending surgeon and Director of The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at Memorial Sloan Kettering. He confirms that their work has not been impacted by the funding cuts so far.
Key Takeaways
| Topic | Highlight |
|---|---|
| mRNA vaccine potential | Shows promising long-term immune response in pancreatic cancer patients. |
| Trial results | 50% responded; 6 maintained cancer-free status after three years. |
| Funding concerns | $500 million cut in mRNA vaccine grants, but cancer vaccine research safe—for now. |
| Expert insight | Dr. Balachandran leads the research and reassures continuation. |
Summary of Nature Paper: Personalized RNA Neoantigen Vaccines in Pancreatic Cancer
Citation: Rojas et al., Nature (2023), “Personalized RNA neoantigen vaccines stimulate T cells in pancreatic cancer”, Nature 618, 144–150. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06063-y
Background & Rationale
- Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has ~12% five‑year survival, with poor response to immunotherapy due to low mutation burden and weak natural immunity.
- Some survivors develop T‑cell responses to their tumors, inspiring trials of personalized mRNA vaccines that encode tumor‑specific neoantigens.
Study Design & Methods
- Phase I trial (NCT04161755) with PDAC patients after surgical resection.
- Treatment sequence:
- Atezolizumab (anti‑PD‑L1 antibody)
- Autogene cevumeran (personalized mRNA vaccine encoding up to 20 neoantigens)
- mFOLFIRINOX chemotherapy
- Endpoints: safety, T‑cell induction, and 18‑month recurrence‑free survival (RFS).
- T‑cell tracking via CloneTrack.
Key Findings
- Feasibility & Safety: Personalized vaccines manufactured and administered successfully, with good tolerability.
- Immune Response: 8 of 16 patients mounted strong, neoantigen‑specific T‑cell responses.
- Magnitude: Vaccine‑induced T‑cell clones sometimes made up to 10% of circulating T cells.
- Durability: Responses persisted up to 3 years and expanded with boosters.
- Clinical Correlation:
- Responders: median RFS not reached.
- Non‑responders: median RFS ≈ 13.4 months.
- Difference was statistically significant (P = 0.003).
Interpretation & Implications
- Proof of principle: Personalized mRNA vaccines can work in PDAC.
- Clinical promise: Immune responses correlated with delayed recurrence.
- Next steps: Larger randomized trials to confirm benefit and refine patient selection.
Summary Table
Aspect Details ———————————————— ———————- Vaccine Autogene cevumeran (personalized mRNA‑lipoplex, up to 20 neoantigens)
Regimen Atezolizumab → Vaccine → mFOLFIRINOX
Responders 8 of 16 showed strong T‑cell immunity
Durability Up to 10% of blood T cells, detectable 3 years
Outcome RFS not reached (responders) vs. 13.4 months (non‑responders)
Safety Manufacturing and use feasible, tolerable ———————————————————————–
Bottom Line
This Phase I trial demonstrates that personalized mRNA vaccines can successfully stimulate long‑lasting, tumor‑targeted T‑cell immunity in pancreatic cancer. Responders showed delayed recurrence, supporting larger trials to test this strategy in one of the deadliest cancers.