Chris Jones receives world's first personalized lung cancer vaccine in UK

Chris Jones, a 68‑year‑old patient from Hoylake on the Wirral, became the first person in the world to be treated with a personalised vaccine for advanced non‑small cell lung cancer. The vaccine, part of the NEOVACC Phase I clinical trial, was administered at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool.

The treatment was created using a biopsy of Jones's own tumour to identify tumour‑specific genetic mutations. Synthetic DNA known as ‘doggy‑bone DNA’ (dbDNA™), developed by Touchlight’s myNEO platform, was used to manufacture a bespoke vaccine designed to boost the patient’s immune response and improve the effectiveness of existing immunotherapy. The trial, conducted in partnership with the University of Liverpool, the Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre and NHS Blood and Transplant, aims to enrol ten patients and assess safety and immune response.

Non‑small cell lung cancer accounts for over 80% of lung‑cancer cases, with about 50,000 new diagnoses each year in the UK and roughly two million worldwide. Researchers hope the technology will enable faster, cheaper production of personalised cancer vaccines, making them more scalable for the National Health Service and beyond.