Vinod Balachandran

Vinod Balachandran, a leading surgical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering, discusses groundbreaking advancements in pancreatic cancer research. He explains how cancer, especially pancreatic cancer, cleverly disguises itself from the immune system. Excitingly, new mRNA-based personalized vaccines are showing promising results, with 75% of responding patients becoming cancer-free after three years. He also highlights innovations like an 85% accurate blood test for early detection, providing hope in the fight against this formidable disease.

Dr. Vinod Balachandran, an expert in cancer vaccines at Memorial Sloan Kettering, shares exciting insights about a new mRNA vaccine targeting pancreatic cancer. Despite substantial funding cuts, early trials show promise, with half of participants generating strong immune responses. He delves into the challenges of this notoriously tough cancer and the innovative approaches tailored to individual tumors. Balachandran also discusses the emotional journeys of patients involved in trials and the potential for personalized vaccines to transform cancer treatment.

Dr. Vinod Balachandran, an expert in pancreatic cancer treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering, discusses groundbreaking advancements in vaccine development. He shares promising results from a small trial of an mRNA vaccine that showed half of the participants developed a lasting immune response. Remarkably, six out of eight of these patients remained cancer-free for over three years. Balachandran emphasizes the potential of personalized vaccines and the revolutionary shift these could bring to cancer treatment, especially for hard-to-treat cancers.