Latest news with #UniversityOfSheffield
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Antibodies raise vaccine hopes for a bug that kills 500,000 a year
The discovery of antibodies thought to protect children against a common bacterial infection could bring a vaccine against a bug that kills 500,000 each year. Scientists at the University of Sheffield and the Medical Research Council (MRC) have for the first time identified specific antibodies that protect against Strep A. The common bacterium is mainly known for causing sore throats and flu-like symptoms, but in more invasive cases it can be deadly. The bug kills hundreds of thousands of people each year in poor and middle-income countries, and a UK outbreak in 2022/23 caused more than 400 deaths. Researchers tracked children in The Gambia, and discovered that while maternal protection faded, young children quickly mounted immune responses to parts of the bug. Until now, a limited understanding of the body's natural defences against the bug, which is also called Streptococcus pyogenes, has hindered any vaccine development. The findings of the peer-reviewed study, which are published in the Nature Medicine journal, are a potential breakthrough to develop a new jab. Dr Alex Keeley, a Wellcome fellow in global health at the MRC's Gambia unit and Sheffield's Florey Institute of Infection, led the research. He said: 'Our findings represent a significant step towards a safe and effective vaccine that could save around half a million lives here in the UK and around the world.' 'Now, for the first time in humans, we've been able to observe how antibodies that would be made following vaccination may be preventing infections and show how these antibodies may be working against Strep A.' Fatouamta Camara, who worked on the research, said Strep A in the Gambia 'carries a devastating burden on children and adults in their prime years'. She said: 'Beyond causing illness, its impact ripples through families and communities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and reducing quality of life. 'A vaccine offers hope as a powerful tool to prevent these infections, protect our communities, and improve health outcomes, enabling children and young people to thrive.'
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Cancer vaccines to be given to patients with deadly head and neck tumours
Cancer vaccines will be given to NHS patients with deadly head and neck tumours. A trial of jabs that could cure people's cancer and prevent it from returning is being expanded to include more than 100 patients with mouth, throat and other head-related cancers, over the next year. The world-first programme has already been trialling personalised cancer vaccines in some 550 patients with either bowel or skin cancers. Tens of thousands of patients will be recruited to trial the various vaccines in development for different forms of the disease over the coming years. The programme, called the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, uses a 'match-making' service to partner eligible cancer patients with appropriate trials at nearby hospitals, led by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit. The cancer vaccines use 'mRNA' technology, first pioneered to create Covid-19 jabs during the pandemic. The vaccine used in this trial, known as AHEAD-MERIT (BNT113-01), will help the immune system recognise and kill cancer cells containing human papillomavirus (HPV) proteins, which are commonly linked to head and neck cancers. Around 11,000 new cases of head and neck cancer are diagnosed in England every year, with a recent University of Sheffield study finding rates had increased by 47 per cent between 2013 and 2020. Aggressive forms of the disease are difficult to treat and have high rates of returning, while fewer than 50 per cent of patients will live for two years after being diagnosed. The vaccine used in the trial is encoded with two proteins that are commonly found in head and neck cancers associated with high-risk types of HPV. It trains the body's immune system to attack and kill the cancer cells. Prof Peter Johnson, NHS England's national clinical director for cancer, said it was a 'potentially transformative vaccine, offering renewed hope of holding the disease at bay'. 'The NHS is always looking for evidence-backed innovations in treatment to improve survival and quality of life for people diagnosed with cancer, and this expansion of our Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad will give hundreds of patients the chance to be part of cutting-edge advances in cancer care,' he said. It will be available to selected patients from 15 NHS hospitals over the next 12 months, NHS England said, which is partnering with German life sciences company BioNTech on the programme. The announcement to expand trials into vaccines using mRNA technology comes after Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, announced he would cancel $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccines to tackle viruses that cause diseases such as flu and Covid-19. Kennedy, a vaccine sceptic, said he was pulling the funding over claims that 'mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses', in a move that has been heavily criticised. Karin Smyth MP, the health minister, said the new cancer vaccine trial was a 'massive win' for Britain and 'could be game-changing for patients facing some of the most challenging diagnoses'. 'By getting these trials running in our NHS, we're putting ourselves at the forefront of medical innovation,' she said. Lord Vallance, the science minister and former chief scientific officer for the Government, said: 'Our partnership with BioNTech is delivering for patients right across the country, and I hope to see more ambitious work like this as they continue to invest in research and development and AI as part of their billion-pound backing for the UK over the next 10 years.' Chris Curtis, 67, from Blackpool, was diagnosed with a HPV-related head and neck cancer in 2011 and set up a support charity, The Swallows. He said: 'When I was diagnosed with stage four tongue cancer and two secondary cancers, one each side of the neck, my world just fell apart. 'I then had to go through brutal treatment, including six weeks of radiotherapy, chemotherapy every week, two neck dissections and be fed on a tube for almost three years. I lost 12 stone in weight and was severely physically and mentally unwell. 'With this aggressive cancer you live in fear every day – so anything that could help control the disease or give people peace of mind is ground-breaking. 'It'll allow people to get on with their lives and move forward.' Dr Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, said the launch pad was an 'important route to fast-track promising mRNA vaccine technology into clinical trials'. 'Research into personalised cancer treatments is vital. 'There are over 200 different types of cancer and it's unlikely there will ever be a single cure that works for everyone.'
BBC News
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
University of Sheffield student play heading to Edinburgh Fringe
A stage drama written and performed by students from the University of Sheffield will be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe arts play, called Peace Circle, is based on a restorative justice procedure that sees a criminal come face-to-face with his victim's family following a the cast and crew are current or recently graduated students of the and director Lucy Singer, 21, said: "It's very, very exciting - the festival is a cornerstone of the whole theatre industry, it's where everybody who does theatre wants to go." The play explores the story of a murderer being confronted by his victim's family during a series of supervised talking Singer said the group had to pitch the play to organisers of the festival and they were chosen from three competing added that performing was "not cheap", but the group was financially supported by the students' union's alumni fund and private hoped being part of the Fringe could help her achieve her dream of becoming scriptwriter."It's comforting to know we'll be surrounded by so many other amateur and student productions - there's other people dipping their toes in," she said. Actress Emelia Lodge said she attended drama school before going to university, but now had new opportunities to "try loads of different aspects" of the she believed it had also improved her skills on stage."Drama school was amazing, but that consumes your life - sometimes you're there from eight in the morning to eight at night," she said."You had no time to pursue other things if you wanted to, and I think a lot of theatre is about life experience."Fellow cast member Roberto Rowinski said they were feeling "confidence, nerves, and excitement" ahead of their performance at the Fringe."We've done so many rehearsals and gone over it so many times, so hopefully we'll be going into it relatively confident that we can perform it to the best of our ability."The production will be hosted by Edinburgh's Space Triplex venue between 18 and 23 August. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
