Dublin hospital to enter first of its kind clinical trial in 'bespoke' cancer vaccines

The trial is due to start at Tallaght University Hospital in two weeks, and will be conducted using revolutionary messenger RNA biotechnology.

A Dublin hospital is to become one of the first in the world to enter clinical trials for “ground-breaking” personalised cancer vaccines.

The trial is due to start at Tallaght University Hospital in two weeks, and will be conducted using revolutionary messenger RNA (mRNA) biotechnology — which became prominent during the covid pandemic with vaccines.

It is now going to be used to create “bespoke” cancer vaccines tailored specifically for each person who has undergone cancer surgery, teaching the body’s immune system to search for and then destroy any remaining cancer cells. 

If successful, the effect will be to reduce the chances of cancer returning.

The trial is one of the first of its kind in Ireland and among the first in the world, and will involve people who will already have undergone surgery for early stage non-small cell lung cancer — which is the most common form of lung cancer.

Consultant oncologist Sebastian Trainor told the Irish Examiner: “These are ground-breaking clinical trial options for patients, and we have to wait and see if they provide positive results in the end.

These trials are designed to answer the question: Is this a good option for patients? 

"Being the first of its kind in Ireland, we are aiming for six patients — but it could lead to more in the future.

“It is an evolving space, and there are likely to be other trial options coming through over time that either ourselves or other centres might become involved in."

It is to try and prevent the recurrence of lung cancer, he said.

If a patient is eligible for the study, a sample of their tumour will be sent off for analysis, Mr Trainor said.

“It could potentially reduce the incidence of cancer recurring in somebody who has already undergone curative surgery for their lung cancer," Mr Trainor added.

Asked if this could be a game-changer in the treatment of cancer, he said it is too early to say because it is still very much at the trial phase.

“If a patient is eligible for the study, a sample of their tumour will be sent off for analysis. An mRNA vaccine is created specifically for that one patient’s tumour. It’s individualised for the patient.

“We have not opened the clinical trial yet. We are aiming for the end of next week and, at that point, we will be actively looking for patients at our multidisciplinary lung cancer meetings.

If there are patients that are interested, then they can speak to their oncologist to see if this is a suitable option for them

Trials for the world’s first mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma, the biggest skin cancer killer, began in Britain earlier this year.

However, the clinical study opening in Tallaght University Hospital is the first of its kind to investigate bespoke mRNA vaccines in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

Details of the trial’s progress will be distributed among other cancer specialists and treatment centres by the charity Cancer Trials Ireland.

It is the country’s leading cancer research trials organisation, and is part funded by Health Research Board and the Irish Cancer Society.

Mr Trainor said there has already been interest in the trials he is about to conduct from other hospitals around the country.