Vaccine Designed to ‘Intercept’ Pancreatic Cancer Induces Durable Responses
The phase 1 trial found 90% of participants developed KRAS-specific T-cell responses, and none developed pancreatic cancer during a median 16.5 months of follow-up.
- On Thursday, July 16, 2026, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers reported that an experimental vaccine targeting mutant KRAS was safe and generated durable immune responses in high-risk patients, according to findings published in Cancer Discovery.
- Mutations in the KRAS gene drive development in 90% of pancreatic cancers, and one in 10 patients have hereditary predisposition, prompting researchers to develop a peptide-based vaccine that triggers immune destruction of mutant cells.
- Researchers found that 18 of 20 participants, or 90%, achieved significant KRAS-specific T-cell responses with a median 18.2-fold increase. Five individuals experienced complete resolution of pancreatic cysts, and none developed pancreatic cancer during the study.
- The vaccine demonstrated a safe profile with all treatment-related adverse events classified as mild to moderate, including fatigue and chills . After a median follow-up of 16.5 months, no participants required surgery for high-risk pancreatic lesions.
- Investigators hope this approach could eventually prevent pancreatic cancer in high-risk individuals similarly to how vaccines address HPV. Future clinical testing is required to confirm these findings in a larger group of patients.
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Milan, 16 Jul. (Adnkronos Salute) - Prevent pancreatic cancer with a vaccine. It is the hope that opens thanks to the results of a US study published in 'Cancer Discovery', magazine of the American Association for Cancer Research. Researchers of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Skip Viragh Center for Pancreatic Cancer report that mKras-Vax, an experimental vaccine targeted to Kras mutation (one of the main genetic factors responsib…
Test with 20 people at high risk showed that mKRAS-VAX activated immune cells in 18 participants. None developed cancer after median follow-up of 16.5 months.
Vaccine designed to ‘intercept’ pancreatic cancer induces durable responses
An investigational vaccine that targets common KRAS mutations induced durable immune responses among individuals at high risk for pancreatic cancer, results of a phase 1 clinical trial showed.Eighteen of 20 participants achieved KRAS-specific T-cell responses. Several individuals had either complete radiographic resolution or regression of pancreatic cysts, and none developed pancreatic cancer by
Experimental KRAS vaccine safely generates durable immune response against pancreatic cancer
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Skip Viragh Center for Pancreatic Cancer report that an experimental vaccine targeting mutant KRAS, one of the most common genetic drivers of pancreatic cancer, was safe and generated durable immune responses aimed at preventing the cancer in people at high risk.
The fight against pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal and difficult to detect tumors, has just taken a hopeful step. A team of researchers from the United States has developed an experimental vaccine aimed at preventing the appearance of pancreatic cancer in people at a particularly high risk of it. The ... Continue reading "An experimental vaccine opens the door to preventing pancreatic cancer in people at high risk"
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udgtvGenerates durable immune responses to prevent this tumor in people at high risk
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