Patients with an advanced type of skin melanoma in England will be given fast-track access to a “revolutionary” new cancer vaccine as part of an NHS trial.
The vaccine, known as iSCIB1+ (ImmunoBody), helps the immune system recognise cancer cells and therefore better respond to immunotherapy treatment.
The trial is part of the expansion of NHS England’s Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP), a programme to fast-track eligible patients to studies developing vaccines at their nearest participating hospital.
The CVLP has already helped thousands of NHS patients access trials of a personalised vaccine against bowel cancer, with more than 350 people fast-tracked for consideration, and has now expanded to include a trial for melanoma. It aims to provide 10,000 patients in England with personalised cancer treatments in the UK by 2030.
The NHS partnered with the life-sciences company Scancell to widen access for patients at hospitals across the country, with seven sites initially registered and the first patients expected to be referred next month.
Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for about 4% of all new cases.
Prof Peter Johnson, the NHS national cancer director, said: “Skin cancer can have a devastating impact and we know that cancer vaccines have the potential to revolutionise cancer care for patients in this country and across the world – and to save more lives.
“It’s incredibly exciting that the NHS is expanding its world-leading programme so more patients with different types of cancer could benefit from the development of new vaccines that could stop their cancer coming back.
“We want to ensure as many eligible NHS patients as possible have access to these vital trials, which is why we are working with a range of industry partners as more studies get up and running to ensure patients are fast-tracked to a vaccine that could transform lives.”
The prime minister, Keir Starmer, said: “This kind of innovation is nothing short of life-saving and I want to see more of these world-leading treatments being developed in the UK. That’s why through our plan for change we’ve taken action to boost our life-sciences sector through steps to fast-track clinical trials and cut red tape for researchers – so that Britain is the best country in the world for medical research.
“This will accelerate the discovery of transformative treatments and improve services for patients, driving growth across the country while making sure as many people as possible can benefit from cutting-edge treatments.”
Susanna Daniels, the chief executive of Melanoma Focus, said: “Melanoma skin cancer can be deadly and it’s sadly on the rise in the UK. As well as continuing to call for urgent action on prevention, we’re delighted to see progress in innovative treatments and very much welcome the expansion of this vaccine trial.
“The use of vaccines to treat melanoma is an exciting development and we will be encouraging eligible patients to take part in these groundbreaking trials with our up-to-date Melanoma TrialFinder so that vaccines can be understood and patients can locate trial centres to discuss with their medical teams.”
