Scientists at Oxford University and drugmaker GSK to ‘detect the undetectable’ and identify changes in cells that start up to 20 years before cancer develops
Oxford University scientists are creating a breakthrough vaccine to prevent the disease.
Researchers have announced plans to “detect the undetectable” and identify changes in cells that start up to 20 years before full blown cancer develops. Professor Sarah Blagden, from the university which pioneered one of the first Covid-19 vaccines, is co-lead for the joint project with pharmaceutical giant GSK which will study “pre-cancer biology”.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Cancer does not sort of come from nowhere.
“You always imagine it would take about a year or two years to develop in your body but, in fact, we now know that cancers can take up to 20 years, sometimes even more, to develop – as a normal cell transitions to become cancerous.
“We know that, actually at that point, most cancers are invisible when they are going through this, what we now call pre-cancer stage. And so the purpose of the vaccine is not to vaccinate against established cancer, but to actually vaccinate against that pre-cancer stage.”
The GSK-Oxford Cancer Immuno-Prevention Programme is funded using £50 from the drugmaker. The university already has some of the leading researchers identifying tumour-specific proteins which could be targeted by vaccines which stop the disease coming back in people who already have established cancer. But this latest stage in research would push the boundaries of medical science further to potentially vaccinate people against cancer before they have it.
Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, said: “This partnership represents a step forward in cancer research. We aim to unlock the potential of cancer vaccines and bring hope to patients worldwide.”
Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Cancer is a disease that has brought pain and heartbreak to every family in the country, including my own. But through our world-leading universities and businesses working in lockstep, like Oxford and GSK are doing here, we can harness science and innovation to transform what’s possible when it comes to diagnosing and treating this disease.”
Artificial intelligence will be used to analyse new “detailed microscopy” images of cells in greater detail to try and look for patterns in the early changes that can occur. Recent breakthroughs in single genetic sequencing of cells will also be used.
Prof Blagden added: “We put together a taskforce about three years ago of scientists in Oxford who were up for the challenge of trying to do this. We’re lucky because there have been a huge amount of technical breakthroughs we can use… so we can actually now start to detect the undetectable. And from that we’ve been able to work out what features those cells have as they’re transitioning towards cancer so we can design a vaccine specifically targeted against that.”
GSK and Oxford established the Institute of Molecular and Computational Medicine in 2021 to drive research into new medicines.
Tony Wood, chief scientific officer at GSK, said: “We’re pleased to further strengthen our relationship with Oxford University and to combine the deep knowledge of Oxford and GSK scientists. By exploring pre-cancer biology and building on GSK’s expertise in the science of the immune system, we aim to generate key insights for people at risk of developing cancer.”