Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40475479›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2025

Redirecting cytomegalovirus immunity against pancreas cancer for immunotherapy.

R Marrocco, J Patel, R Medari, P Salu, Meza E Lucero, S Brunel, A Martsinkovskiy, S Sun, K Gulay, M Jaljuli and 4 more

Abstract readPreprint
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

R MarroccoCenter for Vaccine Innovation and Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA.
J PatelDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA.
R MedariDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA.
P SaluDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Meza E LuceroCenter for Vaccine Innovation and Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA.
S BrunelCenter for Vaccine Innovation and Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA.
A MartsinkovskiyDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA.
S SunDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA.
K GulayDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA.
M JaljuliDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA.
E MoseDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA.
A M LowyDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA.
C A BenedictCenter for Vaccine Innovation and Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Mendoza T Hurtado deDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3805-9254

Funding

The role of TRAIL in immune control of cytomegalovirusR01AI101423 · NIAID · LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY · PI BENEDICT, CHRISTOPHER A · 2013 to 2023
$4.6M
Harnessing Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific T-cells for pancreatic cancer immunotherapyR21CA286198 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI BENEDICT, CHRISTOPHER A, HURTADO DE MENDOZA, TATIANA · 2024 to 2025
$432k
NCI NIH HHS R21 CA286198NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI101423
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Immunotherapy shows limited success in pancreatic cancer, largely due to a low mutational burden and immunosuppressive microenvironment. Here we hypothesized that pre-existing antiviral immunity can be redirected to control pancreatic tumors. Cytomegalovirus (CMV, a β-herpesvirus) was chosen, as the majority of the population is infected and it induces an extremely large/broad memory T cell response. Mice latently infected with murine CMV (MCMV) were orthotopically implanted with pancreatic cancer cells and treated with systemic injections of MCMV T-cell epitopes. The therapy promoted preferential accumulation of MCMV-specific T cells within pancreatic tumors, delaying tumor growth and increasing survival. Immunophenotyping and scRNAseq analyses showed these T cells were highly activated and cytotoxic, leading to increased tumor necrosis and caspase-3 activation. Finally, therapy was enhanced when combined with subtherapeutic doses of gemcitabine chemotherapy. Together, these results show that CMV-specific T cells can be repurposed to combat pancreatic cancer.

Indexed as

cytomegalovirusImmunotherapypancreatic cancersystemic therapytumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID40475479
PMCPMC12139863

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.