New mRNA immunotherapy eliminates pancreatic tumors in mice

New mRNA immunotherapy eliminates pancreatic tumors in mice

Inspired by the work of the RNA Therapeutics Institute at UMass Chan Medical School and the development of the COVID vaccine, Marcus Ruscetti, Ph.D., and Chaitanya Naimesh Parikh, Ph.D. '26, have developed an immunotherapy using a cocktail of messenger RNAs (mRNA) that could potentially transform pancreatic cancer treatment.

mRNA immunotherapy eliminates pancreatic tumors in mice: Approximately 50% of mice with pancreatic cancer treated with the mRNA immunotherapeutic cocktail saw complete tumor responses and more impressively, remained disease free for a year, even after treatment had been stopped.

CXCR2 antibodies target tumors and neutrophils, enhancing immunotherapy in

Pancreatic cancer has long been regarded as one of the most difficult cancers to treat, not only because malignant cells are often detected late, but also because the tumor builds a biological environment that actively shields it from immune attack. New research now points to a dual-action strategy that may weaken two critical components of that defense at the same time. In a study focused on pancreatic tumors lacking the chromatin-regulating ge…