Patients with advanced skin cancer in England are set to be fast-tracked into trials of a new cancer vaccine, following the expansion of a world-leading NHS programme.
The NHS has partnered with UK life-sciences company Scancell to widen access for patients at hospitals across the country, with seven sites initially registered and more to follow. The first patients are expected to be referred in May 2025. The needle-free injection, which is given for up to two years, works by boosting the immune system’s response and helping it recognise, attack and ‘remember’ cancer cells, to help stop the disease returning.
The trial is the latest part of NHS England’s Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP), a world-first programme to fast-track eligible patients to studies developing vaccines against different cancers at their nearest participating hospital.
The Launch Pad has already begun helping thousands of patients to access trials of a personalised vaccine against bowel cancer, with more than 350 patients fast-tracked for consideration, and has now expanded to include a trial for melanoma.
Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for around 4% of all new cancer cases – with analysis by Cancer Research UK showing cases had risen by a third between 2009-2019. Around half of melanoma patients respond to standard care of immunotherapy, but people who don’t respond are at higher risk of their cancer progressing.
The new DNA vaccine, known as iSCIB1+ (Immunobody), is not personalised to a patient’s tumour, but aims to improve the recognition of cancer cells by the immune system to boost response to immunotherapy. It is being trialled by needle-free injection into the skin (intradermal) or muscle (intramuscular).
The phase II trial, known as SCOPE, is underway and the NHS CVLP – co-ordinated by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit – is aiming to expand the number of patients able to take part and recruit dozens of patients by October.
The vaccine targets biomarkers specific to melanoma tumours acting as a flag to alert the immune system. This triggers the activation of T cells, which seek out, attack and destroy the cancer cells, inducing a lasting response by creating an immune ‘memory’ that may prevent the cancer from returning.
To be eligible for the trial, advanced melanoma patients who haven’t yet received treatment will first need a blood test to determine their tissue type. This test looks at genes that control how the immune system works, which vary from person to person.
The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad is a world-leading NHS trial “matchmaking” service to help find new life-saving treatments where thousands of patients can be referred to their nearest participating NHS site, so hospitals across the country will find it easier than ever to take part in transformational research.
This latest NHS partnership with Oxford-based Scancell follows last year’s national first trial to develop a colorectal cancer jab at several NHS sites sponsored by BioNTech SE.
Professor Gareth Griffiths, Director of the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit said: “It is fantastic to see the expansion of the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad with the addition of this melanoma cancer vaccine trial. Our team have been working hard with Scancell to bring the trial on to the CVLP platform and we hope that by being part of this ground-breaking programme we can help to increase referrals for this trial and give more patients with advanced melanoma access to new, potentially life-saving treatments.”
Dr Nermeen Varawalla, Chief Medical Officer, Scancell, said: “Cancer vaccines have the potential to transform immunotherapy, redefine treatment options and ultimately save lives. Recent clinical data has demonstrated that our potent, tumour-targeted ‘off-the-shelf’ cancer vaccine delivers strong efficacy, with the potential for meaningful long-term survival benefits in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma. Our partnership with the CVLP will give patients expedited access to this landmark study and is an important step in accelerating the clinical development of this important new treatment.”