Scientists have made significant strides in the fight against lung cancer with the invention of LungVax, a vaccine that resembles the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
This novel vaccination, which is being led by researchers from the University of Oxford, the Francis Crick Institute, and University College London (UCL), stimulates the immune system to target and destroy lung cancer cells.
LungVax’s Mechanism of Action
The team intends to produce 3,000 doses of the vaccine with major support of up to £1.7 million from the CRIS Cancer Foundation and Cancer Research UK.
Using a strand of DNA, LungVax trains the immune system to recognize particular proteins on lung cancer cells called neoantigens. Because the malignant cells have DNA abnormalities, these neoantigens act as red flags, alerting the immune system to destroy them.
LungVax presents a great opportunity to fight lung cancer, as there are over 48,500 instances reported each year in the UK, with smoking being the primary cause of 72% of these cases. The CEO of Cancer Research UK, Michelle Mitchell, praises this finding as a major step towards a time when cancer is more avoidable.
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Enhancing Lung Cancer Survival
The vaccine has the potential to change lung cancer survival rates as it develops. It will move on to clinical trials if it shows promise in inducing an immunological response in lab conditions. Larger-scale trials with people at high risk of lung cancer, such as those 55–74 years old and smokers, may be made possible by these trials.
Since less than 10% of patients with lung cancer survive for more than ten years, Professor Mariam Jamal-Hanjani, who is in charge of the LungVax clinical study, highlights the critical need to raise survival rates. There is hope for early detection and prevention as the vaccination, according to her, may cover almost 90% of all lung cancer cases.
While LungVax emphasizes the value of quitting smoking in lowering the risk of lung cancer, it also supports current initiatives like lung health screenings for early detection.
The study is being hailed as a major advancement in cancer prevention and as a turning point in the battle against this terrible illness by Lola Manterola, head of the CRIS Cancer Foundation.
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