Southampton leads groundbreaking NHS cancer vaccine programme

Our Southampton Clinical Trials Unit (SCTU) has received £1.4 million from NHS England to spearhead a new initiative focused on accelerating research into promising cancer treatments.

The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is designed to fast-track the development of personalised cancer vaccines, improving patient access to these potentially life-saving treatments. Thousands of patients across England, including those at University Hospital Southampton, are expected to join the trials.

The power of personalised vaccines

Immunotherapy harnesses the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Personalised cancer vaccines are a type of investigational immunotherapy that are created by analysing a patient’s tumour and using that information to create a vaccine tailored to them.

These vaccines aim to create an immune ‘memory’ that can prevent a cancer from returning after surgery or chemotherapy.

Professor Gareth Griffiths, Director of the Cancer Research UK Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, shares his optimism: “Cancer vaccines have the potential to improve the way we treat the disease, particularly for those cancers where treatment options are currently limited or very demanding on patients’ bodies. We are delighted to have been chosen to run the national platform which will bring together a number of vaccine trials so that patients can access these trials more easily, improving our research knowledge and hopefully leading to improved treatment outcomes for patients.”

The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad

Each trial within the CVLP will explore a different cancer vaccine. Patients undergoing cancer treatment within the NHS may be eligible to participate if their tumours have certain mutations suitable for this type of approach. The initial trial, developed by BioNTech SE, targets a specific colorectal cancer. But Dr Victoria Goss, Head of Early Diagnosis and Translational Research at SCTU, explains that “As the programme expands, more vaccines targeting other cancer types will be brought on board, giving more patients the opportunity to take part.”

SCTU has a global reputation for conducting complex cancer immunotherapy trials. Professor Simon Crabb, SCTU Clinical Director, emphasises the Unit’s role in this new initiative: “Based within the Centre for Cancer Immunology, we have a history of undertaking cancer trials in many types of immunotherapies, including cancer vaccines. The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad will bring together different academic and industry partners who are developing cancer vaccines and allow patients across England to access trials of treatments that may not have previously been an option for them.”

Ali’s story

Ali Richards, 62, from Poole in Dorset, participated in a cancer vaccine trial with SCTU after her head and neck cancer returned. Ali had had a difficult journey through radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which left her with severe side effects. When surgery couldn’t resolve the issue, she was invited to join a vaccine trial.

Ali shares her motivation: “I wanted to do it because I thought if it could help other people not to go through what I’d just been through, if there was potentially something that was going to be curative or improve their immunity in some way, then wouldn’t that be brilliant. It was my way of trying to give back after all the treatment and care I’d had.

“It’s really important that we accelerate progress in cancer vaccine trials. Traditional treatments are not kind by their nature, and anything that can make treatment more simple, more effective, less invasive, has got to be a good thing.”

Looking to the future

The first CVLP trial is already enrolling patients with colorectal cancer at several hospitals in England, with more hospitals set to join soon. NHS England and SCTU are collaborating with BioNTech and other industry partners to rapidly introduce more vaccine candidates, making these trials available to eligible patients as soon as possible.

As Professor Griffiths explains, “Research and clinical trials are essential for improving how we treat cancer and helping to improve outcomes for patients. By bringing together the most innovative immunotherapies and personalised treatment trials through the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad we hope to facilitate more patient access to these clinical trials and ultimately accelerate the progress in cancer treatments.”

The Cancer Immunology Fund

We would like to thank our donor community for your support for the Centre for Cancer Immunology. Your generosity means that our work can continue to change lives for the better.

Southampton has a history of excellence when it comes to bringing disciplines together to create life-changing and lasting impact. In addition to our pioneering work in cancer research, our people are making groundbreaking advancements in the fields of dementia, infectious diseases, respiratory health, and vision loss.

To find out more, and to donate to the Cancer Immunology Fund, please click here.