In seven countries around the world, experts are testing a new injection method that forces the body to detect and kill cancer cells, then prevents them from returning. It is about the treatment of the most common form of lung cancer — non-small cell lung cancer.
The Guardian writes about it.
The BNT116 vaccine, manufactured by BioNTech, is being tested for the first time in 34 research centers in seven countries: Great Britain, the United States, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain and Turkey. 130 patients joined the trial — from those in the early stages to those with cancer recurrence.
The vaccine uses mRNA and works by giving the immune system tumor markers in cells affected by non-small cell lung cancer to target them. That is, the vaccine should enhance a personʼs immune response to cancer, leaving healthy cells intact.
The first person to receive the vaccine in Great Britain was 67-year-old Janusz Rach from London. In May 2024, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and began chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
This week, Rach received six consecutive injections, five minutes apart, over 30 minutes, with different strands of RNA. He will be given the vaccine every week for six consecutive weeks and then every three weeks for 54 weeks.
The Englishman hopes that after completing his treatment, he will be able to return to running and fulfill his lifeʼs goal of completing the London Marathon.
- In April, the worldʼs first personalized injectable mRNA drug for the treatment of the most dangerous form of skin cancer, melanoma, began to be tested on British patients.