Vaccines and AI technology applied to pancreatic cancer treatment

Pancreatic cancer has a 5-year survival rate of only about 13%. The tumor grows silently, invades quickly, and is surrounded by thick fibrous tissue that hinders drugs and the immune system. These characteristics make detecting and treating pancreatic cancer difficult, despite many advances in surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

In that context, scientists are looking for new directions, such as vaccines for treatment and early detection thanks to AI. These are areas of interest due to their potential to increase patient treatment success rates.

Vaccine to treat KRAS

Most pancreatic cancers are associated with mutations in the KRAS protein, which controls cell division. Some drugs targeting KRAS such as daraxonrasib are being tested, helping the disease stabilize for an average of 8 months and reducing the amount of cancer DNA in the blood.

In addition to drugs, scientists are developing a KRAS vaccine, which works by training the immune system to recognize cancer cells carrying KRAS mutations as “intruders”, then attack and eliminate them. In other words, the vaccine turns cancer cells into targets for T cells in the body to destroy, instead of letting the tumor grow silently.

Initial small-scale testing showed that 21/25 patients produced T cells with anti-cancer activity; Strong responders had reduced levels of cancer DNA and lived longer than three years after the first dose of the vaccine. An expanded version targeting all seven common subtypes of KRAS is being tested in 158 patients.

Individualized vaccines

Scientists are developing personalized vaccines, designed specifically for each patient based on unique mutations in the tumor. Initial testing showed that 8 out of 16 people produced specific T cells capable of recognizing and attacking cancer cells, helping to live longer and prolong the time the disease does not recur. A large international trial is currently underway to evaluate effectiveness in a broader patient group. If successful, doctors can combine genetics and immunology to individualize pancreatic cancer treatment.

Applying AI in early detection

Another advancement that improves survival rates is early detection using AI and blood testing. The company GRAIL tested screening for cancer DNA in the blood of people aged 50 and older, while the Johns Hopkins team combined AI with endoscopic ultrasound and blood sugar and weight test data, helping to detect pancreatic cancer at an earlier stage. AI allows the identification of abnormalities in imaging and biological data that are difficult to see with the naked eye, opening up opportunities for intervention before the tumor progresses.

Experts say that if vaccine and AI methods are widely deployed, pancreatic cancer could become manageable and prolong life instead of being a “deadly” cancer as it is today.

Research also opens up the way to combine therapeutic vaccines with targeted drugs and AI to support early detection. Thanks to that, doctors can monitor tumor progression, choose individualized regimens and detect early recurrence. Clinical trials are underway to determine safety, effectiveness, and practical applicability. However, experts emphasize that this is still in the early stages, and vaccines cannot replace current treatment methods.