Founding Director Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines @MSKCancerCenter | Cancer Surgeon-Scientist | Pancreas cancer | Cancer immunology | 2x dad, 2x ironman
Today, in @Nature, we reveal PART 2 of our investigations on
“What IS going on in long-term survivors of #PancreaticCancer (#PDAC)?”
“Is it REALLY the immune system?”
Well…more evidence here - > nature.com/articles/s4158…
Thread below [1/30]
2. MAJOR BARRIER for Cancer Vaccines = How DO you make anticancer T cells of HIGH
- Magnitude
- Longevity
- Function
Can you teach T cells to recognize “self” ➕ persist ➕ function…
in #PDAC??
1. Tertiary Lymphoid Structures (TLSs) – on demand lymphoid aggregates that assemble in inflamed tissues/cancer to regulate immunity
But how? What molecule triggers? What cells induce?
TODAY in @Naturenature.com/articles/s4158…
Long-term #PDAC survivor PART4 – TLSs
🧵1/25
3. In ’23, we found that though wisdom was #PDAC ≈ no mutation-derived neoantigens (NAs)…
Long-term #PDAC survivors HAVE NAs! If NA = immunogenic 👉🏾 longer survival 🧵: x.com/TheVinodLab/st…
This led to the 1st phI trial of adjuvant RNA #PDAC Vaccines👇🏽
Today, in @Nature, we reveal PART 2 of our investigations on
“What IS going on in long-term survivors of #PancreaticCancer (#PDAC)?”
“Is it REALLY the immune system?”
Well…more evidence here - > nature.com/articles/s4158…
Thread below [1/30]
4. Where we found #PDACs harbor
- NAs
- NAs targetable with RNA
- RNA NA vaccines induce potent CD8 T cells in 8/16 pts (responders)
- Responders have better outcome (at 1.5-yr follow-up)
Results🧵:
Very honored (and surprised!) to receive this.
So lucky to work everyday @MSKCancerCenter with exceptionally talented clinicians and scientists determined to crack #PancreaticCancer.
Much progress is needed!
5. But…
A. Do patients have better outcomes at longer follow-up?
And
B. Do the T cells last? And do they still work? (requisite features for any vaccine)
C. And where do they come from? Answers👇🏽
16. TAKE HOME
In #PDAC, RNA NA vaccines make CD8 T cells of
- multiyear longevity
- substantial magnitude
- durable effector function whose presence - correlates with delayed recurrence at 3-yr follow-up
