The Christie Charity
Press release posted 14 November 2024
Richard Nelson (73) from Timperley in Greater Manchester has received a new type of vaccine currently being developed to stop his bowel cancer returning, as part of a clinical trial which is being run at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.
The trial treatment, which is 2 injections 5 minutes apart, is known as a ‘vaccine’. These new experimental vaccines are given to patients once they have had surgery to remove the tumour. The hope is that the vaccines, which can be made in a matter of weeks, will make the body recognise the cancer cells and kill them, reducing the risk of the disease recurring.
Vaccines are usually designed to prevent disease, by training the body’s immune system to not get an infection, but cancer vaccines are created as a treatment once someone has been diagnosed. The reason they are called vaccines is that they aim to teach and activate the immune system to fight cancer, like vaccines teach the immune system to protect the body from viruses and bacteria.
Richard, a retired college vice principal and grandfather to 5-year-old twins, who was fit and well, was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer 12 months ago. He had surgery last December and it was discovered the cancer has spread to his lymph nodes.
Richard was told about the clinical trial, which was recruiting patients at The Christie for the BNT122-01 vaccines, and that he could be eligible. This is because his cancer was stage 3 and he had circulating DNA in his blood so there was a greater probability of the cancer returning. He agreed to take part in this research at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at The Christie and started having the injections at the beginning of September 2024. He will continue to be on the treatment until July 2025.
Professor Mark Saunders, consultant oncologist at The Christie who is leading on clinical trial at The Christie said: “In Richard’s case we found DNA from cancer cells in his blood, so unfortunately Richard’s cancer would have a greater chance of coming back. The hope is that patients who are given the personalised vaccines have a better chance of long-term survival and cure. Richard’s personalised vaccine is primed to attack his unique cancer and prevent any new cancer cells from returning in the future.”
Richard Nelson, who enjoys long-distance walks and hobbies include Morris dancing and playing in a folk band, said: “When I was approached to take part in the trial I welcomed the opportunity. I’m very happy to take part. I hope it will benefit me, but I also hope it’ll help other people in the long run. I have had a couple of side effects after some, but not all, of the injections, mainly a short period of quite severe shivering and an elevated temperature, rather like the symptoms of the onset of ‘flu. These begin a few hours after being given the vaccine and are an indication that the treatment is working. The symptoms don’t last very long, and I am able to resume normal life as soon as they have passed.”
German biopharmaceutical company BioNTech SE are jointly developing the vaccines, known as BNT122-01 with Genetech, a member of the Roche Group. The trial is recruiting patients in the UK and the United States.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 11% of all new cancer cases (2017 to 2019). Bowel cancer incidence rates are projected to fall by 8% in the UK between 2023 to 2025 and 2038 to 2040. However, it's estimated that there could be around 47,700 new cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK by 2038 to 2040. (SOURCE: CRUK).
Any patients interested in taking part in any research at The Christie should discuss this option with their consultant. Not all patients will fit the criteria for a specific trial. While clinical trials can be successful for some patients, outcomes can vary from case to case. More information about taking part in clinical trials can be found on our taking part in studies and trials page.