The vaccine uses messenger RNA (mRNA), like the Covid-19 vaccines, and works by providing the immune system with cancer markers from NSCLC to train the body to attack cancer cells that express these markers.
Doctors have begun the world’s first trials on patients of an mRNA vaccine against lung cancer, which experts say could save thousands of lives.
This vaccine, known as BNT116 and developed by BioNTech, is designed to target non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common type of lung cancer. Its goal is to eliminate cancer cells while also preventing their recurrence by training the immune system to recognize these cancer cells and attack them.
The phase 1 clinical trial, the first study of BNT116 in humans, has started in 34 research institutions across seven countries: the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and Turkey.
In total, around 130 patients – from early-stage patients before surgery or radiation to advanced-stage or metastatic cancer patients – will receive the vaccine alongside immunotherapy.
The vaccine uses messenger RNA (mRNA), like the Covid-19 vaccines, and works by providing the immune system with cancer markers from NSCLC to train the body to attack cancer cells that express these markers.
The aim is to enhance the immune system’s response to cancer while leaving healthy cells intact, unlike chemotherapy.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, the first patient in the UK received the vaccine on Tuesday, marking a crucial milestone for the study.
Experts, such as Professor of Oncology Siobhan Ming Li from University College London Hospitals, emphasized to the Guardian that this is the beginning of a “very exciting new era” in cancer research.
British Science Minister Lord Valance expressed optimism about the trial and highlighted that this vaccine has the potential to save thousands of lives, according to the Guardian.
