A 67-year-old lung cancer patient in the UK, Janusz Racz, has become the first to receive a new experimental vaccine designed to help his body combat the life-threatening disease. This groundbreaking vaccine, codenamed BNT116 and manufactured by BioNTech, utilizes the same mRNA technology that was the foundation of its highly effective COVID-19 vaccine. Administered at the University College London Hospital, the vaccine is seen as a more precisely targeted treatment compared to chemotherapy, with doctors expecting it to have less collateral damage on healthy cells.
“It’s painless,” Racz told Sky News after receiving his first dose. “It’s much better than chemo, which was hard for me,” he added. The vaccine was delivered through at least six syringes, each containing genetic material for different parts of the tumor, to train five billion cells in his immune system to go on the attack.
The vaccine works by presenting common tumor markers to the patient’s immune system using mRNA technology. This approach helps train the immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells expressing these markers and potentially eliminate cells that suppress the immune response. According to doctors, the vaccine can flag key components of the tumor as a threat, prompting the body to obliterate cancer cells wherever they are, which could reduce the tumor size and lower the risk of recurrence.
More than 100 patients with non-small cell lung cancer will participate in the trial. “If I was the hundredth or the first [study volunteer], it does not matter to me. I believe it will help me – and help other people if the vaccine goes into production faster. COVID-19 vaccines helped millions of people. This will also help millions of people,” said Racz.
The trial will also aim to identify any major side effects before larger studies are conducted to establish the vaccine’s clinical effectiveness. Volunteers are expected to receive dozens of doses over 12 months to boost their immune systems.
Non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer, tends to grow slowly but often spreads to other parts of the body before it is diagnosed, making early detection and treatment essential. Most cases, though not all, are linked to smoking. Unfortunately, many patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage when treatment is less effective, and currently, only about a quarter survive for five years. The NHS has begun screening older smokers for lung cancer in hopes of catching cases earlier. Anyone experiencing symptoms like a persistent cough, chest pain, or fatigue should see a doctor immediately.
