NHS England is set to offer expedited access to the trial for BioNTech’s new cancer vaccine, BNT113-01, for individuals with advanced head and neck cancers.
The trial is part of the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP), a service designed to pair individuals with cancer vaccine trials.
Coordinated by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, the CVLP is expanding its reach to include more than 100 subjects across 15 NHS hospitals over the coming year. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) is among the participating hospitals.
The trial, known as AHEAD-MERIT, has already commenced, with the first subjects in England receiving the investigational vaccine.
The vaccine is said to employ mRNA technology, aiming to train the immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells that express proteins associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV).
This initiative marks the third cancer vaccine trial facilitated by the CVLP, which has previously referred various individuals to vaccine studies for skin and bowel cancers.
NHS England's collaboration with BioNTech is crucial in discovering individuals who may benefit from the trial.
The CVLP, a collaboration between NHS England, the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, BioNTech, and the UK Government, is said to have accelerated cancer research trials, with one study's subject enrolment expedited by around a year.
NHS England national clinical director for cancer Professor Peter Johnson said: “The NHS is always looking for evidence-backed innovations in treatment to improve survival and quality of life for people diagnosed with cancer, and this expansion of our Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad will give hundreds of patients the chance to be part of cutting-edge advances in cancer care.”
Head and neck cancers, which arise in areas such as the throat, mouth or voice box, present a challenge in advanced stages, with a two-year survival rate below 50%.
In June 2025, the UK Government announced its 10-year Health Plan to expedite clinical trials and transform patient care with new treatments.
