Lung cancer patient becomes first in the world to receive a new vaccine - after personal trauma

Lung cancer patient becomes first in the world to receive a new vaccine - after personal trauma Chris Jones, from the Wirral, Merseyside, is the first person in the world to be treated as part of the early-stage clinical trial designed to improve the treatment of some forms of advanced lung cancer A British mum has become the first patient in the world to receive a new vaccine which doctors hope will significantly improve lung cancer treatment. Chris Jones, 68, has had the jab which uses cells from the woman's own tumour to help create a synthetic DNA, hoped to make immunotherapy far more effective. Chris is taking part in a new clinical trial at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool. One of the consultants involved in the trial said: "It feels like a massive step forward... It is extremely exciting." Chris, of Hoylake, Merseyside, has advanced non-small cell lung cancer, which accounts for more than 80% of all lung cancers. While her immunotherapy has helped to some extent, it has not worked well enough. Medical Oncology Consultant Dr Carles Escriu said this was a problem for approximately half of the patients they treated. He explained that such patients typically have an initial response to the immunotherapy but eventually the cancer learns how to become resistant. He added: "So what we want to do is boost the immune system, hoping that we can achieve this long-term response." Chris has agreed to take part in an early stage clinical trial, looking at whether that can be done. She said she volunteered in the hope the trial helps extend her life – and help other patients in the future. Speaking to the BBC, the mum said just under 10 years ago her eldest daughter Alex died from secondary breast cancer, adding: “If there'd been something for her like this, maybe things would have been different. I think trials are amazing.” In six weeks, Chris will be scanned to find out how her vaccine is working and hopes that her tumour will have shrunk. She said: “I'm not ready to go yet. I’ve got things to do.” The vaccine was made specifically for her. Scientists used a biopsy from her own tumour to map the DNA of her cancer. They then used that information to engineer the vaccine using synthetic DNA. That DNA is known as “doggybone" because of its unusual shape. Researchers say it is faster and cheaper to produce than normal bacterial DNA and this makes individually tailored vaccines potentially more achievable for the NHS. The University of Liverpool, the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, NHS Blood and Transplant, and specialist genetics and immunotherapy firms have worked together for months to reach this point. Dr Escriu added: “This is a very complex study that requires a lot of co-ordination, and few centres worldwide would consider doing a study like this.. So it's fantastic to be a part of it.” Only 10 people will take part in this early stage trial, receiving seven doses over the next 24 weeks. The two professors jointly leading it, Christian Ottensmeier and Natalia Savelyeva, hope it will improve care for more than half of patients with advanced lung cancer. Prof Ottensmeir said the aim was to help the immune system recognise and fight tumours that have previously evaded detection. He said: “I hope this research will contribute to new ways of thinking about cancer vaccine use in advanced lung cancer.”