PREVIEW

Doctors are now trialling the world's first mRNA lung cancer vaccine, which is being hailed for its potential to save thousands of lives. Lung cancer accounts for approximately 1.8 million deaths annually, making it the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The new vaccine, called BNT116 and made by BioNTech, aims to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by instructing the body to target and kill cancer cells. The phase 1 clinical trial involves 34 research sites across seven countries, including the UK, US, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and Turkey. The UK has six sites participating, with the first UK patient receiving the vaccine recently. Around 130 patients, from early to late-stage NSCLC, will be part of the trial, which uses mRNA similar to Covid-19 vaccines. Prof Siow Ming Lee at UCLH, leading the trial in the UK, described it as part of a 'very exciting new era of mRNA-based immunotherapy clinical trials'. The aim is to enhance the immune response to cancer while sparing healthy cells, a contrast to chemotherapy. 67-year-old Janusz Racz from London, the first UK patient to receive the vaccine, said his background in science motivated him to join the trial. Racz will receive six weekly injections, then every three weeks for 54 weeks. Each jab contains different RNA strands to help target the cancer. Prof Lee hopes the treatment will prevent lung cancer recurrence, aiming for it to become a standard of care worldwide. The initiative is part of a revolutionary NHS scheme aiming to fast-track patients into clinical trials for cancer vaccines, potentially saving many lives.
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