Experimental drug eliminates 75% of aggressive pancreatic tumors and enhances immune system memory

An experimental cancer drug candidate developed by the domestic bio company MedPacto has demonstrated effectiveness in removing aggressive pancreatic tumors and creating immune system memory in mice. According to Korea Biomedical Review, MedPacto announced that its experimental drug MP010 produced complete tumor responses and lasting immune protection in mice, including protection against subsequent challenges with different cancer types. The preclinical findings were selected as the cover article for the November issue of Cancer Cell. MedPacto described the study as the first to show that targeting TGF-beta in the tumor microenvironment could generate immune memory capable of protecting against both the original cancer and other cancer types. The findings have yet to be established in humans.

Medical Xpress reported that the experimental drug eliminated 75% of aggressive pancreatic tumors and enhanced immune system memory. Additionally, Korea Biomedical Review stated that in three mouse models of pancreatic cancer that respond poorly to treatment, MP010 achieved complete response rates of 75.0 to 87.5 percent and a long-term survival rate of 87.5 percent. When mice whose pancreatic tumors had completely regressed were challenged again with the same cancer cells, none developed tumors. More than 80 percent also remained tumor-free after being challenged with cells from a different pancreatic cancer or from lung or bladder cancer. The company attributed the protection to changes in the immune environment around tumors and the combined roles of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in establishing long-term immune memory.

MP010 selectively binds to extra domain-B fibronectin, or EDB-FN, a protein highly expressed in the tumor microenvironment of various solid cancers, and targets TGF-beta, which contributes to immune evasion and metastasis. The study was titled "A Stroma-Sensing TGF-beta Blockade Reprograms CAF–Myeloid Niches to Induce Durable Tumor Immunity." MedPacto Chairman Kim Seong-jin, who led the study, stated, "Cancer cells secrete TGF-beta to disable the immune system and reshape their surroundings to support tumor growth and protection." Kim added, "Our research showed that inhibiting TGF-beta around tumors could produce complete tumor responses and lasting immune effects." CEO Woo Jung-won said the results suggested that TGF-beta inhibitors could have broader applications in cancer treatment by inducing immune memory.

MedPacto is finalizing preparations for an investigational new drug application, including work on toxicity study results, and plans to conduct clinical trials in Korea and the U.S. targeting regulatory clearance in early 2027. The company is also discussing joint research and potential early licensing agreements for MP010 with several global pharmaceutical companies. The candidate receives government research funding after being selected for support under the Korea Drug Development Fund’s second funding round for 2025. Chairman Kim is a former tenured senior investigator at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and an adjunct professor at Yale School of Medicine, and Kang Dong-woo, head of MedPacto’s Research Division 1, was the first author alongside 11 other company researchers.