NHS Begins World-First Cancer Vaccine Trials

Thousands of patients are to be fast-tracked into groundbreaking trials of personalised cancer vaccines in a revolutionary NHS "matchmaking" scheme to save lives.

- Andrew Gregory

The gamechanging jabs, which aim to provide a permanent cure, are custom-built for each patient in just a few weeks. They are tailored to the individual's tumours and work by telling their body to hunt and kill any cancer cells and stop the disease returning.

Under the scheme, the first of its kind in the world, patients who meet the eligibility criteria and agree to have a blood test and sample of their cancer tissue analysed will gain immediate access to trials for the vaccines that experts say represent a new dawn of treatments for cancer.

The head of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, hailed the development as a "landmark moment" for patients. "The NHS is in a unique position to deliver this kind of world-leading research at size and scale," she said.

Research into cancer vaccines is at an early stage, but trials have already shown they can be effective at killing off remaining tumour cells after surgery and dramatically cut the risk of cancer returning.

NHS England has enrolled dozens of patients on to its scheme, the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, with thousands more to be enlisted across England. The first trials are expected to focus on colorectal, skin, lung, bladder, pancreatic and kidney cancer, officials said, but other forms could be added in future.