Researchers have launched the world’s first clinical trial for a preventative lung cancer vaccine,offering a potential turning point in the fight against the disease. the LungVax vaccine, developed by teams at University college London and the University of Oxford, aims to train the immune system to recognize and destroy cancerous cells in their earliest stages. Backed by £2.06 million in funding from Cancer Research UK, the four-year trial is expected to begin in the summer of 2026, pending regulatory approval [[1]], [[3]].
Researchers from the universities of London and Oxford have launched the world’s first clinical trial for a vaccine designed to prevent lung cancer. This groundbreaking research offers a potential new approach to combating a disease that remains a significant public health challenge.
New vaccine for lung cancer
The research team has received up to £2.06 million from Cancer Research UK to conduct a four-year clinical trial of the LungVax vaccine, according to News Medical Life Science.
Testing the New Vaccine
The initial phase of the clinical trials will focus on determining the optimal dosage of the LungVax vaccine. Researchers will administer the vaccine to individuals at high risk of developing lung cancer, while also monitoring for any potential side effects from varying dosages. The trial is expected to begin in the summer of 2026, pending regulatory approvals.
Professor Mariam Jamal Hanjani, leading the clinical trials for LungVax at the University of London’s Cancer Institute, noted that less than 10% of lung cancer patients survive for ten years or more. “This needs to change,” she said, “by targeting lung cancer in its early stages.”
The LungVax clinical trial represents a crucial first step toward making this vaccine available to those most vulnerable to the disease. “We will carefully study how people respond to the vaccine, how easily it can be given, and who might benefit most from it in the future,” Professor Hanjani explained.
While preventative vaccines may not eliminate the need for quitting smoking as the best way to reduce lung cancer risk, it could offer an effective means of preventing some cancers from developing in the first place.
How the New Vaccine Works
Lung cancer cells differ from healthy cells, containing “red flag” proteins produced by cancer-causing mutations in their DNA. These proteins, known as neoantigens and tumor-associated antigens, appear on the cell surface in the very early stages of lung cancer development.
LungVax delivers a set of genetic instructions that train the immune system to recognize tumor antigens present on the surface of abnormal lung cells. The trial aims to enable the immune system to identify these abnormal cells in their early stages and eliminate them before they develop into cancer. The vaccine utilizes technology developed by the University of Oxford during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver these instructions to the immune system.
To assess the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, the trial will initially focus on individuals diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer who have been successfully treated but are at risk of recurrence. The vaccine will also be tested on people undergoing lung cancer screening as part of the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme in England. If the trial yields promising results, the vaccine’s scope may be expanded to larger trials for individuals at high risk of developing lung cancer.
Approximately 48,500 cases of lung cancer are recorded annually in the United Kingdom, with around 72% attributed to smoking – the largest preventable cause of cancer worldwide.
