LONDON: Researchers at the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical company Moderna have developed an experimental mRNA vaccine aimed at preventing cancer in people at high risk of developing bowel and ovarian cancers.
The vaccine, however, has yet to undergo clinical testing and remains in the trial phase.
Scientists say the vaccine is based on mRNA technology, which could eventually be used to prevent a wider range of cancers in the future.
The research focuses on people with Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition that significantly increases the risk of several cancers, including those affecting the bowel, uterus, ovaries, stomach, pancreas, kidneys and skin.
According to researchers, approximately one in every 300 people in England carries Lynch syndrome, although only about 5% are aware they have the condition.
The syndrome is linked to around 1,100 bowel cancer cases annually in England and can raise a person's lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer to as much as 80%.
The study, scheduled to begin this summer, will investigate whether the vaccine, known as mRNA-4194, can train the immune system to identify and eliminate precancerous cells before they develop into cancer.
David Church, a research fellow at the University of Oxford and lead investigator of the trial, said the goal is to educate the immune system to recognize abnormal cells and stop them from progressing into cancer.
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He explained that the mRNA vaccine acts as a set of biological instructions, guiding the immune system on which precancerous cells to target and destroy before cancer develops.
