UK company granted patent for revolutionary cancer vaccine technology

Patients with advanced skin cancer who took part in a clinical trial are all still alive and only a small percentage have seen their tumours grow

The technology uses the body’s own T cells, which live within white blood cells, to attack and kill malignant tumours as if they were a virus (Rex)

The prospect of cancer vaccine moved a step closer on Wednesday after a pioneering British firm announced it had secured a European patent for an injection that can prevent tumours forming and attack those that have already grown.

AIM-listed Scancell’s technology uses the body’s own T cells, which live within white blood cells, to attack and kill malignant tumours as if they were a virus.The technique, known as immuno-oncology is believed to have the potential to revolutionise cancer treatment.

In clinical trials, patients with advanced skin cancer were injected with up to five doses of the vaccine over a six-month period. In addition, some patients are being given long term treatment every three to six months for up to five years.

All of the patients who took part in the initial trial are still alive seven years after first receiving the treatment and only a small percentage have seen their tumours grow. This compares “very favourably” with data from historical controls, Scancell said. Scancell’s treatment, known as SCIB1, will be marketed under the brand name ImmunoBody.

“The addition of this key European patent for DNA ImmunoBody significantly bolsters our global intellectual property portfolio as we position the company for future growth,” Dr Richard Goodfellow, chief executive of Scancell, said in a statement on Monday.

Cancer immunotherapy is currently causing significant excitement in the medical community.

It is already being used to treat some cancers with a number of patients still in remission more than 10 years after treatment.

While traditional cancer treatment for testicular and other forms of the disease can lead to a complete cure, lung cancer, melanoma, and some brain and neck cancers have proved difficult to beat.

Being able to inject an effective treatment into a patient’s bloodstream would be a significant step forward.

Scancell is up against much bigger rivals in the race to create a cancer vaccine. FTSE 100 giant AstraZeneca is due to publish clinical trial results later this summer from a trial on its own immuno-oncology therapies in lung cancer patients.