Thousands of NHS patients in England will participate in revolutionary trials for personalised cancer vaccines. The programme, a world-first matchmaking scheme dubbed the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, aims to fast-track individuals into clinical trials for custom-built vaccines that combat specific tumours. Elliot Pfebve, a 55-year-old lecturer diagnosed with colorectal cancer, is the first NHS patient to receive the personalised treatment at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust.
Thousands of NHS patients in England will participate in revolutionary trials for personalised cancer
vaccines.
The programme, a world-first matchmaking scheme dubbed the Cancer
Vaccine Launch Pad, aims to fast-track individuals into clinical trials for custom-built
vaccines that combat specific tumours.
These
vaccines, created using mRNA technology, work by inducing the immune system to target cancer cells and preventing recurrence.
Amanda Pritchard, head of NHS England, termed the initiative a 'landmark moment'.
Trials will initially focus on colorectal, skin, lung, bladder, pancreatic, and kidney cancers across 30 NHS sites in England, with thousands more patients set to join.
Elliot Pfebve, a 55-year-old lecturer diagnosed with colorectal cancer, is the first NHS patient to receive the personalised treatment at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust.
Preliminary findings will be discussed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago.