A new attempt to intercept lung cancer before it can take hold is moving closer to real-world testing, as researchers in the UK prepare to launch the first clinical trial of a vaccine designed for prevention rather than treatment.
Instead of beginning with tumours or advanced disease, the researchers behind the LungVax project are focused on the earliest detectable cellular changes.
These tiny alterations — often spotted only in screening programmes or after surgery for early-stage disease — can hint at the first steps toward cancer.
Scientists at University College London (UCL) and the University of Oxford believe that teaching the immune system to recognise those cells may be key to stopping the disease while it is still silent.
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LungVax uses a modified viral vector to deliver instructions that help immune cells identify proteins linked to early cancer-associated mutations.
These proteins, sometimes referred to as neoantigens, can appear long before a visible tumour forms.
The hope is that an early immune response could clear abnormal cells quickly enough to prevent cancer from emerging at all.
Funding for the trial comes from Cancer Research UK with support from the CRIS Cancer Foundation.
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The first participants will include people who have previously undergone surgery for early-stage lung cancer, along with individuals identified through England’s national lung-screening programme.
The phase-one study will focus on tolerance, dosage and immune activation.
If the vaccine proves safe and capable of stimulating a measurable response, researchers plan to extend testing to larger groups, including people whose risk comes from long-term smoking or environmental exposure.
For those living with lingering fear after a diagnosis — or for families who have watched someone endure aggressive treatment — the possibility of preventing new tumours represents a profound shift.
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LungVax will not transform cancer care overnight, but it marks a deliberate move toward stopping the disease at its very first signal.
Source: University College London and News Medical
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