Lung cancer vaccine: How does it work?

A trial to determine the safety of a novel vaccine for lung cancer will take place at sites across England and Wales. The first UK patient received the jab at the National Institute for Health Research UCLH Clinical Research Facility on Tuesday. – But what is the vaccine and how does it work? The vaccine, known as BNT116, utilises messenger RNA (mRNA), the same technology used in the Covid-19 vaccines.

The jab works by presenting the immune system with tumour markers from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This primes the body to fight the cancer cells that are expressing these markets while leaving healthy cells untouched. – How is it administered? This trial will aim to recruit people with NSCLC – from early-stage before surgery or radiotherapy, to late-stage disease or recurrent cancer – to have the jab alongside standard immunotherapy.

The first patient to have the vaccine – Janusz Racz, 67, from London – had six consecutive injections given five minutes apart over a half hour period. Each jab contained different RNA strands. He will get the vaccine every week for six consecutive weeks and then every three weeks for a year and then every three weeks for a total of 54 weeks.

– What are the potential outcomes for lung cancer patients who have the jab? Professor Siow Ming Lee, a consultant medical oncologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), which is leading the trial in the UK, said he hopes the vaccine will prevent lung canc.