A groundbreaking mRNA vaccine trial against lung cancer is underway in the UK

A 67-year-old man has become the first person in Britain to try a vaccine to cure his lung cancer, in what doctors are calling a “groundbreaking innovation,” the BBC reported.

Janusz Racz had a tumor in his right lung that was discovered during an independent medical scan. He has chosen to take part in a research study spanning seven countries – including the United States, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Hungary and Poland – at 34 research sites.

As part of the research study, 130 patients will test the vaccine.

The vaccine was made using the same technology as some of the Covid-19 vaccines – using mRNA technology to give instructions to the immune system.

Racz's early-stage study will test the safety of the vaccine.

“I hope it will provide a defence against cancer cells. But I also thought that my participation in this research could help other people in the future and help make this therapy more widely available,” Racz told the BBC.

“As a scientist myself, I know that science can only progress if people are willing to participate in such programs.”

How could the vaccine work?

The BNT116 vaccine from the German biotechnology company BioNTech is designed to attack and destroy cancer cells rather than healthy cells. It contains information that teaches the patient's immune system which cells to find, attack and destroy.