Utilizing technology akin to that of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, researchers from the University of Oxford, the Francis Crick Institute, and University College London (UCL) have developed the “LungVax,” a vaccine that stimulates the immune system to eliminate cancer cells and prevent lung cancer.
The CRIS Cancer Foundation and Cancer Research UK, two charitable organizations, have awarded the team up to £1.7 million in financing so they can produce 3,000 doses of the vaccine.
It functions by utilizing a DNA strand that teaches the immune system to identify “red flag” proteins, or neoantigens, in lung cancer cells and eliminate them.
The presence of these neoantigens on the cell surface results from DNA alterations that cause cancer.
About 48,500 cases of lung cancer are reported annually in the UK, with smoking being the primary cause in 72% of cases, according to data from Cancer Research UK.
