Discover the groundbreaking potential of a new mRNA vaccine that could finally provide a way to effectively combat pancreatic cancer.
I want to highlight some of the great work of Dr. Vinod Balachandran, a physician-scientist researcher with the David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Shavit (September 15, 2024) reports, “Dr. Balachandran says mRNA vaccines could stimulate the immune system to recognize and attack pancreatic cancer cells.” Many people in the general public have received Moderna or Pfizer mRNA vaccines to offset the COVID-19 pandemic, so there is some familiarity with the hearing about mRNA vaccines. Suppose a person is exposed to a virus after receiving mRNA vaccination. In that case, antibodies can quickly recognize, attach, and mark it for destruction before it can cause serious illness.
mRNA vaccines work by introducing a piece of mRNA that corresponds to a viral protein, usually a tiny piece of a protein found on the virus’s outer membrane. The beauty of the mRNA vaccines is that people who get an mRNA vaccine are not exposed to the virus, nor can they become infected with the virus by the vaccine. The body’s cells can use this mRNA to produce the viral protein that activates a normal immune response. Since the immune system recognizes that the viral protein is foreign, it produces specialized antibodies.
Neoantigens, proteins found within pancreatic tumors, have been identified as “red flags,” which can alert the immune system that cancer cells are ramping up. These neoantigens play a pivotal role in rallying the immune response to keep pancreatic cancer at bay. Shavit (August 14, 2023) reports that scientists discovered killer T cells that target and eradicate cancers, such as cytotoxic T cells and killer T cells that seek out and destroy cells. Those T cells are engineered “to recognize and target pancreatic cancer cells, reducing the risk of cancer recurrence following surgical removal of the primary tumor.”
Antibodies help protect the body against infection by recognizing specific viruses and pathogens by attaching to them and destroying them. Once produced, antibodies remain in the body, even after the body has rid itself of the viruses and pathogens, so the immune system can quickly respond and protect itself immediately. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center researchers were investigating the potential of mRNA vaccine interception techniques of cancer cells long before the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Balachandran is also part of the Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy group, in which Memorial Sloan Kettering is a participant site with five other founding centers.
The Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy is a collaboration among “300 of the country’s leading immunologists at six academic cancer centers, all dedicated to a single mission: harnessing the power of the immune system to fight cancer (Shavit, September 15, 2024).” MSKCC (2024) reports that collaborating medical centers encompass 1) Memorial Sloan Kettering, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Penn Medicine, Stanford Medicine, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, San Francisco. The Institute is funded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker’s $250 million grant. Dr. Balachandran’s efforts have paved the way for a novel clinical trial using mRNA to treat pancreatic cancer. The Narrative Matters!
References:
MedlinePlus. (2022).What are mRNA vaccines and how do they work? What are mRNA vaccines and how do they work?: MedlinePlus Genetics
MSKCC. (2024). https://www.mskcc.org/research-programs/parker-institute-cancer-immunotherapy
#mRNA #pancreaticcancer #medicalbreakthrough #vaccines #cancerresearch
