The Government of UK has signed an agreement with BioNTech for trials of personalised mRNA-based cancer immunotherapies.
The UK-based trials are intended to help treat cancer patients using precision immunotherapies and provide access to personalised treatments for up to 10,000 patients by 2030.
Immunotherapies are created by analysing the tumour of a patient for identifying mutations specific to that individual’s cancer. The information will then be used to create a personalised immunotherapy for that patient.
BioNTech will establish a new regional hub in the UK as well as labs in Cambridge with more than 70 highly skilled scientists.
In addition, a new Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) will enable identification of cancer patients eligible for potential trials. CVLP will be led by NHS England in collaboration with Genomics England.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “The NHS will not stop in its efforts to pioneer new treatments that could be life-changing for future generations.
“This is why we are developing our very first Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, enabling us to identify thousands of NHS patients suitable for cancer vaccine trials – giving them the earliest possible access to cutting-edge technology that has the potential to change cancer care forever.
“Thanks to advances in treatment and care alongside NHS awareness campaigns, cancer survival is at an all-time high, but the potential to stop cancer from returning is truly remarkable – and with the first patients set to take part in vaccine trials this autumn, we hope to find a way of vaccinating people against their own cancers and improve their chances of survival.”
BioNTech has already initiated clinical trials in the UK and further trials are expected to enrol patients from 2026 onwards.
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