The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center is the first site in the Midwest to launch a phase 2 clinical trial to test a pancreatic cancer vaccine.
The vaccine uses mRNA technology similar to the COVID-19 vaccine. Patients undergo surgery to remove the tumor, which is then sequenced to make a personalized vaccine specific to the patient's cancer. The vaccine is developed in four to six weeks while patients recover from surgery. Patients receive six weekly injections, and following six months of standard chemotherapy, patients receive six more vaccines as boosters.
In the phase 1 trial of 32 patients, 25% of recipients were in complete remission from pancreatic cancer, Davendra Sohal, MD, site principal investigator, said in a Feb. 20 system press release.
The new trial aims to enroll 260 patients globally. The vaccine reportedly had minimal side effects, including mild aches, chills and mild fever.