News 1258 www.thelancet.com/oncology Vol 25 October 2024 World’s first lung cancer vaccine trial launched in the UK A UK patient with lung cancer became the first to receive a groundbreaking new vaccine against the disease at the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH; London, UK) on Tuesday, last week. The BNT116 vaccine, which has been developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech (Mainz, Germany) as an immunotherapy treatment for nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), uses mRNA to provide information about common tumour markers to the patient’s immune system, so that it is able to identify and mount an immune response to the cancer cells and prevent their return. This targeted method improves treatment precision and reduces the risk of harm to healthy, non-cancerous cells, which are often affected by chemotherapy. Led by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Facility at UCLH, the phase 1 trial will run across 34 sites in the UK, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Türkiye, and the USA. In total, about 130 patients will receive the vaccine—from individuals with latestage or recurrent NSCLC, to those in the early stages of the disease who have not yet undergone surgery or radiotherapy. The aim is to assess the safety and activity of the vaccine, both as monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy and established immunotherapy regimens. Lung cancer is the leading cause of global cancer mortality, causing around 1·8 million deaths in 2020, and 34 800 deaths annually in the UK alone. It is hoped that the BNT116 vaccine could help to substantially reduce these numbers by targeting NSCLC, the most common form of the disease. Although the success of this firstin-human trial is yet to be confirmed, it represents “a significant milestone in lung cancer research” according to Siow-Ming Lee (UCLH). “The trial highlights the UK’s prominent role in mRNA vaccine research, building on our success with COVID-19 vaccines”, Lee explained. “The Office for Life Sciences deserves recognition for laying the foundations for this technology partnership with BioNTech, which has enabled groundbreaking research to take place in the UK.” The BNT116 lung cancer vaccine trial follows the launch of a vaccine trial for melanoma at the NIHR UCLH Clinical Research Faculty in April this year—another groundbreaking development. Both trials are part of the UK Government’s broader efforts to support medical research and accelerate the delivery of clinical trials, reinforcing the UK’s status as a globally competitive player in vaccine development. “We are pleased to see that another cancer vaccine trial has opened in the UK, allowing more patients access to cutting-edge therapies”, commented Michelle Mitchell (Cancer Research UK, London, UK). Mitchell said, “The science that helped us out of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to show promise as a potential treatment option for patients, this time with BioNTech testing a vaccine for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer in a phase 1 trial. While [still at a] very early stage, we look forward to seeing how the study progresses.” “This first use of a cancer vaccine in lung cancer in the UK is a really exciting development”, agreed Jesme Fox (Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Liverpool, UK). “Despite the advances in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, it is still a devastating diagnosis for many affected by this disease here in the UK, with a relatively short prognosis.” “We eagerly await trial results”, she added, “but cancer vaccines have the potential to be monumental in the fight against this disease. They offer real hope to those affected by cancer and could be transformative in future oncology treatment.” Although the trial itself might be promising and offer hope to the patients and clinicians involved, the real success of it will be measured by its spread and visibility among the global oncology community. “We hope that global press coverage of this milestone will boost recruitment efforts, both in the UK and worldwide”, said Lee. “While this first mRNA trial for lung cancer is a crucial initial step, its true impact will depend on the results of future studies. If successful, mRNA cancer vaccines could represent a major breakthrough and offer new hope for lung cancer patients, addressing a major global health challenge with 2·5 million new cases and 1·8 million deaths each year.” Elizabeth Gourd Thom Leach/Science Photo Library Published Online August 30, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/ S1470-2045(24)00324-3 For more on the launch of the trial at UCLH see https://www. uclh.nhs.uk/news/first-ukpatient-receives-innovativelung-cancer-vaccine For more on the melanoma trial see https://www.nihr.ac.uk/ news/trial-begins-forgroundbreaking-newpersonalised-melanomatreatment/35928
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