A new vaccine against pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal forms of the disease, has shown promising results in a clinical trial, triggering an immune response in 99% of the vaccinated patients who were evaluated.
The vaccine, called cam upepimut (cam upepimut), was developed by the company Elicio Therapeutics. It aims to train the T cells of the immune system to recognize and attack seven of the most common mutations of the KRAS gene, which are linked to the development of most cases of pancreatic cancer.
The phase two study, led by specialists from the Mayo Clinic, included 144 patients who had previously undergone surgery and chemotherapy. They were randomly divided into two groups, one of which received the vaccine and the other did not.
Of the 90 vaccinated patients, the immune response was assessed in 89 of them. The results showed that these patients developed T cells that recognized the mutations of the KRAS gene. In more than 80% of cases, the immune response was more than nine times stronger than before.
Also, patients who developed the strongest immune response tend to stay longer without signs of the cancer returning.
Researchers are planning a larger phase three study, which will also test booster doses of the vaccine and its combination with other treatments.
However, the vaccine is still in the clinical trial stage, and further research is needed to confirm its effectiveness.
The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine (2026).