Off-the-Shelf Cancer Vaccine Shows Strong Results in Pancreatic and Colorectal Cancer Patients
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UCLA-led study reports durable immune responses and reduced relapse in patients with KRAS-driven cancers.
A groundbreaking study led by UCLA Health researchers has shown promising results for an experimental off-the-shelf cancer vaccine, ELI-002 2P, in patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancer. Published in Nature Medicine, the findings reveal that the vaccine elicited strong T-cell responses and extended both relapse-free and overall survival compared to historical outcomes.
The Phase 1 AMPLIFY-201 trial followed 25 patients with KRAS-driven pancreatic and colorectal cancers who had minimal residual disease following surgery. Results demonstrated that 84% of patients developed KRAS-specific immune responses, with some achieving complete clearance of cancer biomarkers. Patients with robust T-cell responses had dramatically longer relapse-free and overall survival, with many still disease-free at nearly 20 months of follow-up.
Unlike personalized vaccines, ELI-002 2P is designed as a standardized product, making it more accessible and faster to deploy. By using amphiphile technology to target lymph nodes directly, the vaccine effectively trains the immune system to attack cancer-driving mutations.
“This study shows that the ELI-002 2P vaccine can safely and effectively train the immune system to recognize and fight KRAS mutations,” said Dr. Zev Wainberg of UCLA. “For pancreatic cancer patients, where treatment options remain limited, this is an exciting step forward.”
A Phase 2 trial of an expanded version, ELI-002 7P, is now underway to target a broader range of KRAS mutations.
Citation: UCLA Health News Release, “Off-the-shelf cancer vaccine elicits strong immune response in patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancer” (August 12, 2025). Read the full article
