Doctors have begun giving patients the world’s first mRNA lung cancer vaccine, launching a clinical trial that researchers say could eventually save thousands of lives each year. The vaccine, called BNT116 and developed by BioNTech, targets non-small cell lung cancer — the most common form of a disease that kills roughly 1.8 million people worldwide every year. The first patient in the United Kingdom received their initial dose in August 2024, marking the start of a phase 1 trial across 34 sites in seven countries.
- Seven countries, one goal: The trial is running in the U.K., U.S., Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and Turkey, with six sites located in England and Wales.
- How it works: Like COVID-19 vaccines, BNT116 uses messenger RNA to show the immune system specific markers found on lung cancer cells, training the body to hunt down and destroy them while leaving healthy tissue untouched.
- Who is enrolled: About 130 patients — ranging from early-stage cases before surgery to late-stage or recurring cancer — will receive the vaccine alongside standard immunotherapy.
mRNA lung cancer vaccine builds on COVID-era technology
The same mRNA platform that made COVID-19 vaccines so fast to develop is now being applied to one of medicine’s most stubborn problems. BNT116 works by delivering RNA strands that teach immune cells to recognize and attack proteins found on the surface of non-small cell lung cancer tumors. Because the vaccine can be customized to target specific antigens, researchers say it offers a precision that older treatments like chemotherapy cannot match.
Janusz Racz, 67, a scientist from London, became the first person in the U.K. to receive the vaccine. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2024 and began chemotherapy and radiotherapy shortly after. Racz said his background in science made the decision to enroll straightforward. “I understand that the progress of science — especially in medicine — lies in people agreeing to be involved in such investigations,” he said.
Racz received six consecutive injections over 30 minutes, each containing different RNA strands. His treatment schedule calls for weekly doses for six weeks, followed by injections every three weeks for 54 weeks. When his treatment is complete, he hopes to return to running and finally complete the London Marathon.
mRNA lung cancer vaccine trial targets a disease that kills 1.8 million a year
Lung cancer is the world’s leading cause of cancer death, and survival rates for advanced forms of the disease remain deeply low. Current immunotherapy treatments have improved outcomes — roughly 20 to 30 percent of stage 4 patients now survive longer — but researchers believe combining those treatments with BNT116 could push that number significantly higher.
Prof. Siow Ming Lee, a consultant medical oncologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which is leading the U.K. arm of the trial, said the technology represents a turning point. “We are now entering this very exciting new era of mRNA-based immunotherapy clinical trials to investigate the treatment of lung cancer,” he said. “This technology is the next big phase of cancer treatment.”
Lee, who has spent 40 years in lung cancer research, said the goal is to stop the cancer from returning after surgery and radiation — a recurring problem for many patients even after initial treatment succeeds. “We hope this mRNA vaccine, on top of immunotherapy, might provide the extra boost,” he said, adding that the team hopes to advance to phase 2 and phase 3 trials and ultimately make the treatment standard of care worldwide.
UK fast-tracking cancer vaccine trials through NHS matchmaking scheme
The BNT116 trial is part of a broader push by the U.K. to become a global hub for cancer vaccine research. The NHS launched a world-first “matchmaking” scheme earlier in 2024 to fast-track eligible patients into cancer vaccine trials, connecting individuals to studies based on their specific diagnosis. Experts say the scheme could dramatically accelerate the timeline for bringing new treatments to the general public.
U.K. Science Minister Lord Vallance praised the launch of the lung cancer vaccine trial, calling it a potential breakthrough for patients globally. “This approach has the potential to save the lives of thousands diagnosed with lung cancer every year,” he said. “We back our researchers so that they continue to be an integral part of projects that produce therapies like this one.”
If the phase 1 trial confirms the vaccine is safe and effective, it will move into larger studies testing its impact on a broader patient population. Researchers are watching closely — not just for this specific cancer type, but for what success could mean for mRNA-based treatments targeting other cancers in the years ahead.
Progress on cancer treatments keeps building
This trial doesn’t exist in isolation. It fits into a broader pattern of medical breakthroughs showing that some of humanity’s most feared diseases are becoming more survivable. A landmark Alzheimer’s prevention trial cut disease risk in half using a targeted drug intervention — a parallel story of science finding ways to stop devastating conditions before they take hold. Closer to home for the patients in this lung cancer trial, U.K. cancer death rates have already fallen to their lowest level on record, evidence that earlier progress is working and that new tools like BNT116 could accelerate the trend further. For more stories like these, explore the full Good News for Humankind archive, sign up for the daily newsletter, or learn about the Antihero Project and the philosophy behind why this kind of reporting matters.
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This story was generated by AI based on a template created by Peter Schulte. It was originally reported by The Guardian.
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