A groundbreaking experimental vaccine is showing remarkable promise in stopping two of the deadliest cancers from returning — pancreatic and colorectal.
Researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center developed and tested the ELI-002 2P vaccine on 25 patients who had already undergone treatment for colorectal or pancreatic cancer. Both cancers are driven heavily by KRAS mutations — genetic errors responsible for roughly half of colorectal cancers and over 90 percent of pancreatic cancers. Despite surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation, many patients relapse because microscopic cancer cells survive and spread.
One year after receiving the vaccine, patients experienced relapse-free survival rates far higher than expected based on historical outcomes. The vaccine works by “teaching” the body’s immune system to recognize and attack KRAS-driven cancer cells before they can regroup and grow.
“This vaccine is really about teaching patients’ immune system how to recognize and attack those tiny amounts of cancers so that they keep them from coming back,” explained oncologist Dr. Thomas Marron, who described the early results as “extremely promising.”
The trial found that ELI-002 2P activated persistent T-cell responses — both CD4+ and CD8+ cells — targeting KRAS mutations while also generating broader anti-tumor responses. By triggering this kind of immune memory, the vaccine may prevent recurrences that typically devastate patients within a few years.
The findings come from the AMPLIFY-201 phase 1 study, which focused on patients already considered high-risk for relapse. Researchers stressed that larger clinical trials are still needed, but the evidence suggests this approach could transform how pancreatic and colorectal cancers are treated.
If successful, ELI-002 2P would mark one of the first cancer vaccines capable not only of targeting existing tumors but also of keeping cancer from returning after aggressive treatment. For pancreatic cancer patients in particular — where survival rates remain among the lowest in medicine — this kind of breakthrough could prove life-saving.
The post New Vaccine Could Prevent Recurrence Of Deadly Colon, Pancreatic Cancer: ‘Extremely Promising’ appeared first on Real News Now.
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