Devon health trust chosen for cancer vaccine trial

The vaccine is being developed by pharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Genentech

A health trust has been selected for a trial that is set to examine the use of a personalised cancer vaccine.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust said its research and development department at Torbay Hospital had been chosen to be part of the trial.

It said cancer patients who might be at risk of the disease returning would be eligible to participate.

The vaccine is being developed by pharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Genentech after the former helped make a Covid vaccine using the same mRNA technology.

The trust said participants would have their cancer mutation studied to create a vaccine specific to their tumour.

The aim would be to "train to the immune system to recognise the cancer and delay or stop it from returning", it added.

Dr Nangi Lo, medical oncology lead for the trust, said the "pioneering" study could benefit cancer patients across the south west.

"The ability to evaluate bespoke vaccines against a person’s own specific cancer as part of a clinical trial may bring us one step closer to improve outcomes for patients," she said.

Dr Lennard Lee, senior government advisor for the UK national cancer vaccine advance, said the work was "inspiring".

"We are now witnessing a renaissance in cancer research as part of this cancer vaccine advance," he said.

"Trials like this in Devon could be pivotal in improving patient outcomes for cancer."