Study Finds Promise in Personalized T Cell Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S., and survival rates remain devastatingly low. A new study in Nature Medicine offers hope through a personalized therapy that uses patients’ own immune cells—boosted and targeted to seek out five cancer-specific targets.

The trial was led by first authors Benjamin L. Musher, Spyridoula Vasileiou, and Brandon G. Smaglo, with senior author Ann M. Leen. Findings revealed that the phase 1/2 clinical trial achieved an 84.6% disease control rate in patients responding to chemotherapy. Disease control lasted a median of about six months—and in some cases much longer. The therapy showed excellent safety with no severe immune reactions. Two patients remain disease-free more than five years after surgery.

Read the full article: https://rdcu.be/eXjbL

This work reflects a collaborative effort among Baylor College of Medicine, the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Texas Children’s Hospital, and Houston Methodist, with support from the V Foundation for Cancer Research, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), CPRIT, and the National Cancer Institute.

While this study focused on adults, the approach could inform future strategies for other hard-to-treat cancers.

Featured in the image (clockwise from top): Ann M. Leen, PhD; Benjamin Leon Musher, MD; Spyridoula Vasileiou, PhD; and Brandon G. Smaglo, MD, FACP.