Lung Cancer Vaccine
The groundbreaking trials for the world’s first lung cancer vaccine have begun, marking a significant step forward in the potential treatment and prevention of this deadly disease.
The vaccine, which aims to eradicate lung cancer and prevent its recurrence, was first administered to 67-year-old Janusz Racz in Britain.
The vaccine, known as BNT116, is specifically designed to target non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common type of lung cancer.
Janusz Racz received this innovative BioNTech mRNA cancer immunotherapy at University College London Hospital.
This vaccine operates on a similar principle to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, utilizing messenger RNA to instruct the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
The clinical trial, which is a Phase 1 study, involves 34 research sites across seven countries: the UK, the United States, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and Turkey.
In the UK alone, six sites in Wales and England will participate in the trial. Out of 130 participants in total, 30 will be from Britain.
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, accounting for more than 1.8 million deaths each year.
In the UK, there are approximately 48,500 new cases annually. Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of lung cancer, contributing to up to 72% of cases worldwide.
The innovative vaccine works by training the body’s immune system to identify and target cancer cells. It presents the immune system with tumor-specific markers associated with NSCLC, enabling it to seek out and destroy these cancerous cells.
Professor Siow Ming Lee of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust highlighted the significance of this advancement, stating, “We are now entering an exciting new era of mRNA-based immunotherapy for lung cancer.
This technology allows for targeted treatment and could revolutionize cancer care.”
The commencement of these trials brings hope for a new method to combat lung cancer, potentially improving survival rates and offering new treatment options for patients worldwide.
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