Pancreatic cancer is one of the higher-stakes targets for peptide cancer vaccines, given the limited efficacy of conventional chemotherapy and checkpoint inhibitors in the disease. The lead program is BioNTech and Genentech's autogene cevumeran, with long-term survival data continuing to define the category.
Other programs covered on this site: Leukogene Therapeutics' M2T platform — designed to harness MHC class II-engaging mechanisms to redirect immune response against acute myeloid leukemia and pancreatic cancer — with two AACR 2026 posters; ELI-002 amphiphile-peptide KRAS vaccine work in KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer; and academic peptide-receptor and peptide-drug conjugate programs in PDAC.
Stories here cover trial readouts, AACR and ASCO presentations, and the immunotherapy pipeline. See #peptide-vaccine, #pdac, and #oncology.
Lisata Therapeutics filed a May 3 SEC 8-K disclosing an Amendment and Waiver to the Merger Agreement with Kuva Labs Inc. The original definitive agreement (March 6, 2026) priced the all-cash tender at $5.00/share plus a $1.00 contingent value right per share — payable if a regulatory filing for certepetide is submitted or accepted in any jurisdiction within seven years. Closing is expected in Q2 2026. Certepetide is Lisata's cyclic peptide CendR-platform tumor-microenvironment modulator; the lead Phase 2 ASCEND trial in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma reported encouraging Cohort A data, and a Phase 1b/2a trial in locally advanced non-resectable PDAC is also active. Kuva is a cancer imaging company expanding into therapeutics through the deal.
Bicycle Therapeutics confirmed in its AACR 2026 update that the company began enrolling patients in a Phase 2 study of nuzefatide pevedotin (BT5528) in adults with recurrent pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in March 2026, with the first patient successfully dosed in April. The bicyclic peptide-drug conjugate targets EphA2-expressing tumor cells. Earlier Phase 1/2 data — through a February 9, 2026 cutoff — showed 40% confirmed ORR in EphA2+ urothelial cancer patients on nuzefatide 6.5 mg/m² plus nivolumab, rising to 100% confirmed ORR in MMAE-naïve EphA2+ patients (n=14). The company has identified 8 mg/m² Q2W as the preferred monotherapy dose. The PDAC trial extends Bicycle's footprint into a difficult tumor type where EphA2 imaging readouts at AACR 2026 reinforced target validation.
Final phase 1 AMPLIFY-201 results published in Nature Medicine report that ELI-002 2P — a lymph node-targeted vaccine combining amphiphile-modified mutant KRAS G12D/G12R peptides with CpG-7909 adjuvant — produced durable responses in 25 patients with minimal residual mKRAS disease (20 pancreatic, 5 colorectal). At 19.7 months median follow-up, robust T-cell responders achieved median relapse-free survival not reached vs. 3.02 months in non-responders (HR 0.12, p=0.0002); 71% of evaluable patients generated both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and antigen spreading was observed in 67%. Phase 2 enrollment of the next-generation 7-peptide formulation ELI-002 7P is complete, with results expected in 2026.
Nearly half of participants in a Phase 1 trial of BioNTech/Genentech's personalized mRNA neoantigen vaccine autogene cevumeran remain alive up to six years after treatment, with T-cell responses showing no signs of waning. Eight of 16 patients produced durable CD8+ T cells targeting tumor neoantigens after nine doses, with the immune memory still detectable at six-year follow-up. A Phase 2 trial is underway.
Leukogene Therapeutics presents two posters at AACR 2026 showcasing its proprietary M2T platform, designed to harness MHC class II-engaging mechanisms to redirect immune response against acute myeloid leukemia and pancreatic cancer. CEO Sandeep Gupta framed the platform as targeting two of the most lethal and treatment-resistant cancers. Posters appear in the Bi- and Tri-Specific Antibody Therapies session on April 21.