Thousands of cancer patients in England are set to be fast-tracked onto a new program of personalised vaccines. The initiative is called Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. Moreover, the aim is to get more patients on trials of mRNA vaccines against the type of cancer they are suffering from. Hoping to accelerate the development of these treatments.
A 55-year-old father of four diagnosed with colorectal cancer after routine testing is the first one to receive the new shot. After the tumour removal, Phebve is undergoing chemotherapy in addition to the trial.
He said in a statement,
Taking part in this trial tallies with my profession as a lecturer, and as a community-centred person. I want to impact other people’s lives positively and help them realise their potential,
The cancer vaccine Launch Pad will allow patients to access this new technology. In addition, streamlining the process of assessing eligibility and inviting patients to be a part of a suitable trial.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said,
The NHS [the UK’s National Health Service] is in a unique position to deliver this kind of world-leading research at size and scale, and as more of these trials get up and running at hospitals across the country, our national match-making service will ensure as many eligible patients as possible get the opportunity to access them,
An mRNA vaccine aims to prepare a patient’s immune system to develop antibodies against proteins involved in cancer. This knowledge is gathered by tumour tissue testing. These vaccines are combined with surgery, radiotherapy, and other pharmacological therapies. They are expected to help the body eliminate any remaining tumour cells and lower the risk of recurrence.
Iain Foulkes, Executive Director of Research and Innovation at charity Cancer Research UK, said,
Clinical trials like this are vital in helping more people live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.
The UK government has formed a partnership with vaccine maker BioNTech. Furthermore, they promise to give precision cancer treatment to 10,000 patients by 2030. Plans are underway to expand the initiative to include pancreatic cancer, the 10th most frequent kind in the UK but the fifth leading cause of death.
Phebve also added that the new treatment could mean helping thousands of people.
Through the potential of this trial, if it is successful, it may help thousands, if not millions of people, so they can have hope, and may not experience all I have gone through. I hope this will help other people.
