World’s First Lung Cancer Vaccine Trials Launched in Seven Countries

In an unprecedented move that could reshape the future of cancer treatment, clinical trials for the world’s first lung cancer vaccine, BNT116, have been launched in seven countries, including the UK, US, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and Turkey. The vaccine targets non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common form of lung cancer, which claims nearly 1.8 million lives annually.

The first patient in the UK to receive the vaccine, Janusz Racz, 67, was administered the jab at University College London Hospital. Developed by BioNTech, the vaccine uses messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, similar to the Covid-19 vaccines, to instruct the body’s immune system to hunt down and eliminate cancer cells, potentially preventing their recurrence.

The phase 1 clinical trial will involve 130 patients across 34 research sites, with 20 participants from Britain. This trial marks the beginning of what many experts believe could be the next big phase in cancer treatment.

Professor Siow Ming Lee from University College London hospitals NHS foundation trust (UCLH) expressed optimism about the trial, stating, “We are now entering this very exciting new era of mRNA-based immunotherapy clinical trials to investigate the treatment of lung cancer. This technology is the next big phase of cancer treatment.”