About the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad
In July 2023, the UK government announced a new NHS initiative called the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, run in partnership with Genomics England.
It aims to give more patients access to clinical trials of cancer vaccines and streamline the screening process.
The trials of BioNTech’s cancer vaccine candidates are the first to recruit through the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.
Cancer vaccines are a kind of immunotherapy that is still in development. Patients can currently only access them through clinical trials. Cancer vaccines are designed to teach and activate the body’s immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.
Unlike traditional vaccines (e.g. the flu vaccine), cancer vaccines are not designed to prevent people getting the illness. They are designed as a potential treatment for people with cancer.
How does the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad work?
NHS hospitals that are part of the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad will be equipped to support the patient screening process for cancer vaccine trials. For instance, participating hospitals will notify potentially eligible patients about trials and prepare tumour samples for screening.
More specifically, at these hospitals, cancer patients who might be eligible for cancer vaccine trials will be asked if they would like to have their details included in the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad database.
If patients meet the eligibility for a cancer vaccine trial, Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad hospitals can put patients forward for screening.
In Wales, an equivalent referral process enables patients to access cancer vaccine trials at sites open in Wales and elsewhere in the UK.
