Groundbreaking Vaccine May Prevent Lung Cancer

A new vaccine using unique DNA technology may help prevent lung cancer.

“We are at a crucial moment in the history of cancer research and treatment. For the first time, technology and knowledge of the immune system are allowing us to take the first steps toward preventing cancer,” says President of CRIS Cancer Foundation, Lola Manterola.

Scientists from the University of Oxford, the Francis Crick Institute, and University College London have worked together to create the LungVax vaccine, which resembles the highly successful Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Over the next two years, the team will receive funding for the study and the production of 3,000 vaccine doses. LungVax will work by carrying a strand of DNA that will train the immune system to recognize “red flag” proteins called neoantigens. Once the immune system has recognized neoantigens as harmful, it will begin to kill the bad cells and stop lung cancer. Currently, fewer than 10 per cent of people with lung cancer survive the disease for ten or more years. Scientists believe this groundbreaking vaccine could be highly successful, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives.