How do cancer vaccines work? Everything you need to know about the trials
The first patient in England has been treated with a personalised cancer vaccine. The jabs use the same mRNA technology as COVID vaccines - here's what you need to know about how they work and what the trials involve.
Friday 31 May 2024 10:20, UK
A man in England has become the first person in England to be treated with a personalised cancer vaccine on the NHS.聽
The first patient to receive the vaccine for bowel cancer was Elliot Pfebve, 55, who was referred to take part in the vaccine trial after having a 30cm tumour removed from his large intestine.
Health leaders hailed the treatment as "a landmark moment" for patients and the NHS.
Here's everything you need to know about how the vaccines - and the pioneering trial - will work.
How do cancer vaccines work?
There are a few different types of cancer vaccine, but the one people are particularly excited about - and the one the government has signed a deal to develop - is an mRNA vaccine.
If that collection of letters sounds familiar, it’s because mRNA COVID vaccines were the cornerstone of the government’s pandemic response, used by both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
mRNA stands for messenger ribonucleic acid. The "messenger" part is key - it means the molecules carry instructions that tell a cell how to make a protein or antigen.
In COVID, it instructs cells to produce a version of the spike protein on the virus.
To fight cancer, it works by looking for specific mutations in a patient's tumour, with clinicians using the information to create a personalised treatment.
The jab is designed to stimulate a patient's immune system after surgery to remove tumours so it can recognise and attack any remaining cancer cells.
Is this a new development?
The development of COVID jabs has helped accelerate cancer vaccine research, but this builds on more than a decade of work on developing mRNA treatment for cancer.
The vaccine is being jointly developed by biopharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Genentech.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
In January 2023, the government announced a partnership with BioNTech that aimed to treat 10,000 people with personalised cancer treatments, such as vaccines, by 2030.
BioNTech has been developing mRNA-based cancer therapies targeting a patient’s unique tumour since it was founded in 2008 and administered the first mRNA therapy to a person in a trial in 2012.
However, the pandemic proved a breakthrough moment, with mRNA successfully used in widespread vaccines for the first time.
How will patients be chosen to be part of trials?
Patients are selected through NHS England's Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, which is working to fast-track patients to get vaccines at the earliest opportunity.
People who wish to take part will have a blood test and tissue sample taken. If they are eligible, they will be referred to the nearest NHS hospital involved in the scheme.
Thirty hospitals in England are signed up to the initiative, with more to join in the coming months.
According to NHS England, the scheme will work with a range of pharmaceutical companies and could expand to include patients with other cancers such as pancreatic and lung cancer.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Read more from Sky News:
Thames Water tells hundreds not to drink tap water
Jail for 'UK's biggest benefit fraudsters'
Trials have already enrolled dozens of people, NHS England said, with the majority expected to take part from 2026 onwards.
What will happen in the government’s partnership with BioNTech?
The partnership will see clinical trials for mRNA accelerated, with the aim of providing personalised cancer treatments such as vaccines to 10,000 people by the end of 2030.
A research and development hub will be opened in Cambridge employing more than 70 scientists.
The agreement means cancer patients will get early access to trials exploring personalised mRNA therapies - the UK is the first country to sign up to such a partnership.