Researchers at the University of Oxford and University College London have been awarded up to £2.06 million from Cancer Research UK, supported by the CRIS Cancer Foundation, to run a clinical trial of LungVax over the next four years.
This phase I trial will investigate the best dose of LungVax to give to people at high risk of lung cancer, as well as looking for any potential side-effects from different doses of the vaccine. The trial is expected to begin in summer 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.
Lung cancer cells are different from normal cells. They have “red flag” proteins made by cancer-causing mutations within their DNA. These are called neoantigens and tumour associated antigens and they appear on the surface of cells at a very early stage of lung cancer formation.
The LungVax vaccine carries a series of genetic instructions which train the immune system to recognise these tumour antigens on the surface of abnormal lung cells. In trialling the vaccine, the aim is to get the immune system to recognise these early abnormal cells, and kill them before they start to become cancer. The vaccine uses technology called ChAdOx2, developed by the University of Oxford and originally used for the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, to deliver these instructions to the immune system.
Professor Sarah Blagden will appear in the first episode of Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures on Channel 4 this week. The documentary, delivered in partnership with Cancer Research UK, follows researchers leading world-changing research projects which could transform cancer diagnosis, treatment and prevention. You can watch the first episode at 9pm on Thursday 20th November or stream the first episode afterwards on Channel 4.
Read the full story on the Department of Oncology website.