THE world’s first personalised mRNA cancer jab for melanoma is being tested on British patients.
The “gamechanger” mRNA jab also has the potential to stop bladder, lung and kidney cancer.
It can be custom-built for individuals using the specific genetic makeup of their tumour – giving it the best chance of a cure.
The Covid-style vaccine, which can be made in just a few weeks, works by telling the body to hunt down cancer cells and stop them from coming back.
Early results of the jab – developed by pharma giants Moderna and MSD – found it drastically reduced the risk of cancer returning in skin cancer patients.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is now leading leading the final phase of trials of the therapy,
Dr Heather Shaw, co-ordinating investigator of the trial, said it was “one of the most exciting things we’ve seen in a really long time”.
“This is a really finely honed tool,” she said.
“To be able to sit there and say to your patients that you’re offering them something that’s effectively like the Fat Duck at Bray versus McDonald’s – it’s that level of cordon bleu that’s coming to them.
“These things are hugely technical and finely generated for the patient. The patients are really excited about them.”
The new jab, which is set to be tested on around 1,100 patients worldwide, is an individualised neoantigen therapy (INT) and is sometimes called a cancer jab.
One of the most exciting developments in modern cancer therapy
Professor Lawrence Young
It is designed to trigger the immune system to fight back against the patient’s specific type of cancer and tumour.
Known as mRNA-4157 (V940), it targets tumour neoantigens, which are expressed by tumours and are individual to each patient.
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The immune system can potentially pick up these markers on the tumour.
The jab carries an anti-tumour immune response based on the unique mutations in a patient’s cancer.
Dr Heather added: “This is very much an individualised therapy, and it’s far cleverer in some senses than a vaccine.
“It is absolutely custom-built for the patient – you couldn’t give this to the next patient in the line because you wouldn’t expect it to work.”
She added, “I think there is a real hope that these will be game-changers in immunotherapy.”
The aim is to ultimately cure the cancer and eradicate any rogue cells that might not show on scans.
‘This is my best hope of stopping the disease in its tracks‘
One of the first patients on the trial at UCLH is Steve Young, 52, from Stevenage.
His “bump on the head” – which he thinks he had for around a decade – turned out to be melanoma.
He said it was a “massive shock” to be diagnosed.
“I spent two weeks just thinking, ‘This is it’,” he said.
“My dad died of emphysema when he was 57 and I thought, ‘I’m going to die younger than my dad’.”
Steve Young said that hearing about the trial at UCLH “really triggered my geek radar”.
He added: “It really piqued my interest.
“As soon as they mentioned this mRNA technology that was being used to potentially fight cancer, I was just like, ‘It sounds fascinating’ and I still feel the same. I’m really, really excited.
“This is my best chance at stopping the cancer in its tracks.”
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Data from a smaller, phase 2 trial found people with high-risk melanoma who had the jab with immunotherapy Keytruda were almost half (49 per cent) as likely to die or have their cancer come back after three years compared with those who were given only Keytruda.
The phase-three global trial will include a wider range of patients and researchers are hoping to recruit around 1,100 people.
Could work on other cancers
At least 60 to 70 patients across eight UK centres are set to be recruited, and the twin therapy combination will also be tested in lung, bladder and kidney cancer.
Professor Lawrence Young, from the University of Warwick, called it “one of the most exciting developments in modern cancer therapy”.
“Interest in cancer vaccines has been reignited in recent years by a deeper understanding of how the body controls immune responses and by the advent of mRNA vaccines, which makes developing a vaccine based on the immune profile of a patient’s tumour much more straightforward,” said Prof Young.
“The hope is that this approach could be extended to other cancers such as those of the lung and colon.”
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The skin cancer signs you must never ignore
IF you have spotted a lingering mole or mark somewhere on your skin, it would be smart not to dismiss it.
This is especially the case if it looks a bit odd.
Over the past three decades, rates of melanoma skin cancer have more than doubled in the UK, a trend that looks set to continue.
At present, Cancer Research UK estimates that around 16,700 Brits are diagnosed with melanoma on an annual basis, which works out to around 46 cases per day.
The ABCDE rule can be followed to assess the health of a mole. If your mole falls into the following, it’s worth getting checked:
- Asymmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape
- Border – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border
- Colours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours
- Diameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter
- Enlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma