“They may have some shared new antigens, but they’re likely to have their own very individual new antigens that are important to their tumour and so, therefore, it is truly personalised.”
The ultimate aim to permanently cure patients of their cancer, Shaw said. “I think there is a real hope that these will be the gamechangers in immunotherapy,” she said.
Phase 2 data found people with serious high-risk melanomas who had the jab alongside the immunotherapy Keytruda were almost half (49%) as likely to die or have their cancer come back after three years than those who were given only Keytruda.
Patients received 1mg of the mRNA vaccine every three weeks for a maximum of nine doses, and 200mg of Keytruda every three weeks (maximum 18 doses) for about a year.
The phase 3 global trial will now include a wider range of patients, and aims to recruit about 1,100 people. The UK arm aims to recruit at least 60 to 70 patients across eight centres, including in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Leeds.
One of the first patients on the trial at UCLH is Steve Young, 52, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire. “I’m really, really excited,” he said. “This is my best chance at stopping the cancer in its tracks.”
• This article was amended on 26 April 2024 to add relevant personal details to the main image caption.