A new vaccine developed by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) shows promising results for Pancreatic and Colorectal cancer. The vaccine targets tumors with mutations (or changes) in the KRAS gene, a driving force in many cancers.
Note : The KRAS gene provides instructions for making a protein called K-Ras that is part of a signaling pathway known as the RAS/MAPK pathway. It belongs to a class of genes known as oncogenes. When mutated, oncogenes have the potential to cause normal cells to become cancerous. The KRAS gene is in the Ras family of oncogenes, which also includes two other genes: HRAS and NRAS. These proteins play important roles in cell division, cell differentiation, and the self-destruction of cells (apoptosis).
This cancer vaccine is different from another type of pancreatic cancer vaccine, which is custom-made for each patient using messenger RNA (mRNA). Both are therapeutic vaccines given after surgery to prevent or delay the cancer from coming back in high-risk patients.
Personalized vaccines -; while promising -; also have challenges. They take time to make and are costly. By contrast, an off-the-shelf vaccine manufactured in batches could be given to patients with minimal delay and would be much cheaper to produce.
Also note that these results are based on Phase - I trials.
Note : The KRAS gene provides instructions for making a protein called K-Ras that is part of a signaling pathway known as the RAS/MAPK pathway. It belongs to a class of genes known as oncogenes. When mutated, oncogenes have the potential to cause normal cells to become cancerous. The KRAS gene is in the Ras family of oncogenes, which also includes two other genes: HRAS and NRAS. These proteins play important roles in cell division, cell differentiation, and the self-destruction of cells (apoptosis).
This cancer vaccine is different from another type of pancreatic cancer vaccine, which is custom-made for each patient using messenger RNA (mRNA). Both are therapeutic vaccines given after surgery to prevent or delay the cancer from coming back in high-risk patients.
Personalized vaccines -; while promising -; also have challenges. They take time to make and are costly. By contrast, an off-the-shelf vaccine manufactured in batches could be given to patients with minimal delay and would be much cheaper to produce.
Also note that these results are based on Phase - I trials.
TFS, brother. 
