Cancer patients to trial 'personalised vaccines'

The trial is part of NHS England's Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP)

Personalised vaccines are to be offered to cancer patients as part of a NHS trial.

The Royal Wolverhampton Trust (RWT) is one of 30 trusts in England to sign up to the trial, which is part of NHS England’s new Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP).

RWT is aiming to refer two patients to the programme per month.

Sarah Glover, from the trust, said it was an exciting and innovative programme which offered opportunities for patients to take part in ground-breaking trials for cancer treatment.

The developmental vaccines are created by analysing a patients' tumour, to identify mutations specific to their own cancer.

Using this information, doctors create an experimental individualised "cancer vaccine."

These are designed to induce an immune response that may prevent cancer from returning.

The vaccines, which are being developed by biopharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Genentech, are still being trialled, and have not yet been approved by regulators.