In groundbreaking research, BioNTech is developing a personalized vaccine to treat pancreatic cancer, considered one of the deadliest in the world, with a case fatality rate of 88%. According to an article published in the journal Nature on Wednesday May 10, this experimental vaccine could stimulate the T cells of the immune system and offer the possibility of fighting pancreatic cancer.
“This study is in a very early phase, but the results are encouraging. Unfortunately, in cases of pancreatic cancer, survival is low, out of every 10 patients, only one of them is alive in five years.” revealed Camilo Tarazona, an oncologist and hepatobiliary surgeon at the Alma Máter Hospital in Antioquia and a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Antioquia.
Pancreatic cancer is a devastating and rare disease that ranks seventh on the list of the leading causes of death worldwide. Currently, treatment options for this disease are limited and the survival rate is extremely low, with only one in ten patients surviving more than five years.
The vaccine under development is the result of scientific advances made by BioNTech, a German company recognized for its collaboration with Pfizer in the development of the RNA vaccine against covid-19. Based on the promising results obtained with this coronavirus vaccine, BioNTech decided to explore the possibility of applying the same technology to treat other serious diseases, such as pancreatic cancer.
The team of scientists led by researcher Vinod Balachandran, from the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, has made significant progress in the study of pancreatic cancer. During a clinical trial, the immune system of half of the participating patients was activated by the personalized vaccine. Surprisingly, none of these patients experienced a relapse during the 18-month duration of the trial.
“What they did was extract the malignant cells from the patients, take a part of them, analyze them, look for their antigens so that they can be recognized by the immune system and it can attack it”, confessed Tarazona
The goal is to stimulate a stronger immune response and increase the number of T lymphocytes, tumor-killing cells, that can specifically detect and attack pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is considered a “cold tumor” because it usually does not trigger a strong immune response. Tumors are surrounded by cells that suppress the immune response, preventing T cells from destroying the malignant tumor. Until now, cold tumors have not responded well to immunotherapy, but this new personalized vaccine offers hope of changing that landscape.
Despite the encouraging results, the scientists caution that this study is at an early stage and more research is still needed. Currently, the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for pancreatic cancer is pembrolizumab.
“What it does is it blocks certain proteins that cancer cells have so that certain white blood cells attack the cancer cells and the tumor shrinks, but it’s still not curative.” assured Diego Dávila, hepatobiliopancreatic surgeon at the CES Clinic.
In conclusion, prevention is essential when it comes to pancreatic cancer. Since the diagnosis of this disease is not as accurate as in other types of cancer.
For this reason, it is essential to take preventive measures to reduce the risk of developing this disease in the first place. Good eating habits, regular physical activity, smoking cessation and moderation in alcohol consumption are actions that can help prevent this disease. Although genetics can also play a role, implementing a healthy lifestyle is a key strategy to protect our health and promote long-lasting well-being.