University of Oxford and Moderna have jointly developed a vaccine aimed at protecting individuals who are at a higher risk of developing bowel and ovarian cancer. However, the vaccine has yet to undergo the trial phase.
According to experts, the vaccine is based on MRNA technology, and in the future, the same technology could also be used to prevent other types of cancer.
The research is specifically focused on patients with Lynch syndrome. This is a hereditary disorder that significantly increases the risk of several types of cancer, including bowel, uterine, ovarian, stomach, pancreatic, kidney, and skin cancers.
According to statistics, approximately one in every 300 people in England has Lynch syndrome. However, only five percent of affected individuals are aware that they have the condition. Each year, around 1,100 cases of bowel cancer in England are linked to Lynch syndrome. The disorder can increase a person’s lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer to nearly 80 percent.
The study, which is set to begin this summer, will investigate whether a vaccine called MRNA-4194 can enable the human immune system to identify and eliminate precancerous cells before they develop into actual cancer.
The trial’s lead investigator and research fellow at the University of Oxford, David Church, said that the aim of the study is to train the immune system through vaccination so that it can recognize abnormal cells and stop them before they become cancerous.
He further explained that the MRNA vaccine acts like an instruction manual for the body, telling the immune system which precancerous cells should be targeted and attacked.
