Vaccination healthcare concept. Hands of doctor or nurse in medical gloves injecting a shot of vaccine to a man patient. Credit: Getty
A ‘TRANSFORMATIVE’ new vaccine that could prevent bowel and ovarian cancer has been developed by UK scientists.
Scientists from the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical firm Moderna say the jab could be given to people at high risk of the two diseases.
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But first a study – launching this summer- will assess whether the jab can train the immune system to recognise and eliminate pre-cancerous cells in people with Lynch syndrome before cancer develops.
This is the first Moderna is harnessing its mRNA technology – used in Covid vaccines – for cancer prevention.
Experts at Oxford believe it also has the potential to be adapted for other cancers in the future.
One in 300 people in England have Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition that significantly increases the risk of certain cancers.
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This works out to about 175,000 people, but just 5 per cent are aware they have the condition.
People with Lynch syndrome have a far higher risk of bowel, womb and ovarian cancer, alongside other types such as stomach, pancreatic, kidney and skin cancer.
It’s thought the condition increases the lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer by around 80 per cent.
Around 1,100 bowel cancers are caused by the condition each year in England.
Lead investigator Professor David Church, from University of Oxford’s centre for human genetics, said: “By using mRNA vaccine technology to train the immune system to recognise early cancer changes, or what we call ‘pre-cancer,’ we hope to reduce cancer risk and ultimately improve the lives of people with this inherited condition.”
mRNA vaccines are different to typical jabs, as they deliver instructions into cells for the body to mount an immune response.
The new Intercept-Lynch trial is part of a scientific collaboration between the University of Oxford and Moderna. Cancer Research UK has also backed the vaccine development.
Once patients receive the new mRNA-4194 jab, experts will then analyse their immune responses, to ascertain the perfect dose and check the jab is safe.
Researchers expect the first patient to receive a dose this summer.
The second phase of the study will take place across multiple centres across the UK, including Oxford, and is expected to begin in 2027.
Prof Church said people with Lynch syndrome inherit a faulty copy of a gene essential for repairing DNA.
The aim of the new trial is to “train the immune system with a vaccine” to recognise abnormalities and stop them developing into cancer.
“People with Lynch syndrome are at risk of cancers over their entire lives,” he said.
“So, it’s very common, for instance, a woman to have a first cancer of her womb, and then some years later have a bowel cancer, or vice versa.
“The targets we’ve chosen for the vaccine were chosen based on their sharedness across multiple cancer types in Lynch syndrome, so we think they should provide broad protection, if the vaccine works.”
In people with Lynch syndrome, mutations can build up, making the cells containing them more likely to transform into cancerous cells.
However, the mutations can be made visible to the immune system and, with enough stimulation, the immune system can attack the abnormal cells and stop cancer from forming.
Prof Church said the mRNA jab therefore acts as “an instruction manual” for the body to attack the pre-cancerous cells.
As with many vaccines, patients may need to have a booster jab at some stage.
But the jab could be “transformative” in preventing cancer in people with Lynch syndrome, Prof Church.
It may also be given to Lynch patients who have already suffered one type of cancer.
In future, people with cancers not caused by Lynch syndrome may benefit from the jab too.
Prof Church said the study would give researchers “insights that are generalisable” to other forms of disease, if the jab proves effective in training “the immune system to recognise these cancer-associated alterations” and preventing disease progression.
David Berman, chief development officer at Moderna, said: “By applying mRNA technology earlier in the patient journey, we aim to harness the immune system when it can have the greatest impact.
“We are proud to bring this innovation to the UK, building on our long-standing collaboration with leading UK institutions to advance mRNA research and development.”
