Off-the-shelf jab shows promise in treating two forms of cancer

An off-the-shelf vaccine has shown promise in preventing the return of pancreatic and colorectal cancer, researchers have revealed.

- Nicola Davis

Cancer vaccines have become an exciting area of research in recent years. The NHS in England has been trialling various jabs in patients through the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. Such vaccines train the body's immune system to recognise cancer cells so any that return after treatments such as surgery can be hunted down and killed, reducing the risk of the disease coming back.

Many cancer vaccines, including some of those based on mRNA technology, are personalised to the patient's tumours.

However, a study has suggested a non-personalised, experimental vaccine that is already being made at scale could help prevent the return of pancreatic and colorectal cancer.

If borne out by further trials, experts say the approach could be beneficial, since the vaccine is likely to be cheaper and faster to access than mRNA jabs, as well as less toxic than some other therapies.