The first patient in England has received a personalized vaccine against bowel cancer, marking a significant milestone in the NHS England Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad initiative.
The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, developed in collaboration with Genomics England, aims to streamline access to mRNA personalized cancer vaccine clinical trials for cancer patients in England.
Eligible individuals undergoing cancer treatment within the NHS can now be evaluated for participation in a vaccine trial and referred to participating hospitals through this innovative platform.
Over 30 hospitals across England have already joined the initiative, with more expected to come onboard as the program progresses towards its goal of delivering personalized cancer treatments to up to 10,000 patients in the UK by 2030.
NHS Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard, highlighted the NHS’s unique ability to conduct world-leading research on a large scale, ensuring that eligible patients have access to cutting-edge treatments through the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.
Elliot Phebve became the first patient to receive a developmental vaccine for bowel cancer at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust under this initiative, part of a trial sponsored by BioNTech for colorectal cancer.
The investigational cancer vaccines, a collaboration between BioNTech and Genentech, are currently undergoing clinical trials and are not yet approved by regulatory bodies.
With plans to expand the platform to include partnerships with more pharmaceutical companies, the NHS aims to broaden opportunities for patients to participate in vaccine trials for various types of cancer.
National Clinical Director for Cancer at the NHS, Professor Peter Johnson, expressed his enthusiasm for the program’s potential to provide more options for patients and their families, with thousands expected to be recruited for trials in the coming year.
