2024-04-30 22:10:24
London: The world’s first skin cancer vaccine trial included its first patient in Britain this week. The related trial focuses on preventing recurrence of skin cancer. The mRNA-based technology is for people who have already had melanoma, the most serious type of cancer, removed. This technology is similar to the technology used in some anti-Covid vaccines. In the trial, doctors at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) are using the vaccine in combination with another drug, pembrolizumab or Keytruda, which helps the immune system kill cancer cells. Among the first patients set to join the trial One of them is Steve Young, a 52-year-old British musician from Hertfordshire in eastern England. He had stage two melanoma cancer which was removed. “I feel fortunate to be a part of this clinical trial,” Young said. Of course, when I was diagnosed with skin cancer I wasn’t feeling so lucky. Actually, it was quite a shock, but now that I’ve had treatment, I’m keen to make sure it doesn’t happen again. This is my best chance to stop cancer in its original form.
Positive effect shown in initial trials
This vaccine has been developed by Moderna and MSD and can be made for the patient in a few weeks. Initial trials showed a significant reduction in recurrence of melanoma, Metro reports. The vaccine works by instructing the body’s immune system to target and destroy cancer cells.
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The vaccine is undergoing late-stage trials under the supervision of USLH, which also has the potential to be effective against lung, bladder and kidney cancers. Researchers are now hoping that a phase 3 study underway at several sites in Britain will confirm the findings of the earlier trial. The Phase 3 trial will involve approximately 1,089 patients worldwide.