Johns Hopkins mKRAS-VAX Vaccine Shows Durable Immune Response in Pancreatic Cancer Prevention Trial

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers published Phase 1 results in Cancer Discovery for mKRAS-VAX, a peptide-based vaccine targeting the six most common mutant KRAS forms found in pancreatic cancer. In a prevention cohort of 20 participants with hereditary pancreatic cancer risk and imaging-detected pancreatic abnormalities, 18 of 20 (90%) developed a significant immune response, with a median 18.2-fold increase in mutant KRAS-specific T-cell responses generating both CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cells that persisted over time. No grade 3+ adverse events were reported, several participants saw radiographic resolution or regression of pancreatic cysts, and none had developed pancreatic cancer by data cutoff (median follow-up ~16.5 months). The results support continued development of mKRAS-VAX as an interception strategy for high-risk individuals, distinct from personalized post-surgical mRNA vaccines like autogene cevumeran.