67-Year-Old UK Patient First to Receive BioNTech's mRNA Lung Cancer Vaccine

Aug 23, 2024, 10:33 AM

A 67-year-old man named Janusz Racz has become the first person in the UK to receive a pioneering lung cancer vaccine as part of a clinical trial. This vaccine, developed by the German biotechnology firm BioNTech and known as BNT116, is an mRNA-based treatment that works by priming the immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells. The trial, which is a world-first for an mRNA lung cancer vaccine, is being conducted across seven countries and involves 34 international research sites, including University College London, and will recruit 130 patients. The vaccine is seen as a potential breakthrough in the fight against lung cancer, offering hope for a treatment that could save thousands of lives.