18-07-2025
‘One-two-punch' cancer vaccine weaponises the immune system to attack ANY tumour – raising hopes of universal jab
A NEW experimental cancer jab could one day be used to fight any type of tumour, US scientists claim.
Experts from the University of Florida say they've developed a powerful mRNA vaccine that trains the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells.
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It's dubbed the 'one-two punch' after the powerful boxing move where a jab sets up a cross to knock the opponent down.
This is because this jab also works in two steps: first by waking up the immune system, then helping it attack cancer cells more effectively.
It does this by boosting the effects of immunotherapy, a type of cancer treatment that helps the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells.
The groundbreaking discovery brings us closer to a universal cancer jab that could work across many tumour types, it is hope
Research in mice showed that combining the jab with a common immunotherapy drug called an immune checkpoint inhibitor helped fight even resistant tumours.
Dr Elias Sayour, the study's senior author, said: 'This paper describes a very unexpected and exciting observation: that even a vaccine not specific to any particular tumour or virus, so long as it is an mRNA vaccine, could lead to tumour-specific effects.'
He added: 'This finding is a proof of concept that these vaccines potentially could be commercialised as universal cancer vaccines to sensitise the immune system against a patient's individual tumour.'
Unlike previous cancer vaccines that try to hone in on a particular protein in the cell, the new jab works by simply firing up the immune system, tricking it into responding as if it were under viral attack.
By boosting levels of a protein called PD-L1 inside tumours, it makes them more receptive to immunotherapy and helps immune cells recognise them as dangerous.
Lead scientist Dr Duane Mitchell, co-author of the study, said: 'What we found is by using a vaccine designed not to target cancer specifically but rather to stimulate a strong immunologic response, we could elicit a very strong anticancer reaction.
The signs and symptoms of cancer
'And so this has significant potential to be broadly used across cancer patients, even possibly leading us to an off-the-shelf cancer vaccine.'
For the past eight years, Dr Sayour's lab has been developing cutting-edge vaccines using the same mRNA technology found in Covid jabs.
Last year, they trialled a personalised version in four patients with glioblastoma - an aggressive and usually deadly brain tumour.
They saw a fast and fierce immune response that helped fight off the cancer.
'Profound'
The latest study, published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, tested a more generalised version of the jab, not tailored to individual tumours, and still saw dramatic results.
In mice with melanoma, a type of deadly skin cancer, combining the jab with an immunotherapy drug called a PD-1 inhibitor led to tumour shrinkage
While in some skin, bone, and brain cancer models, the jab alone eliminated tumours completely.
Dr Sayour explained: 'Even an immune response that is seemingly unrelated to the cancer may be able to activate T cells that weren't working before, allowing them to multiply and kill the tumour if the response is strong enough.'
Dr Mitchell said: 'It could potentially be a universal way of waking up a patient's own immune response to cancer.
'And that would be profound if generalisable to human studies.'
The team are now working to improve the formula and begin human trials as soon as possible.
Cancer treatments explained – from chemotherapy to radiotherapy and surgery
Because everybody is different and people's cancers are caught at different stages, there is no one size fits all treatment.
It's also common for patients to be offered a combination of treatments to provide the best chance of survival.
According to the NHS, there are six main ways of treating cancer.
Surgery: Removes the tumour physically; not used for cancers like blood or lymphatic system tumours.
Radiotherapy: Uses high-energy rays (like X-rays) to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumours. Nearly half of cancer patients receive this. Common side effects include fatigue and sore skin.
Chemotherapy: Systemic treatment with powerful drugs that kill fast-dividing cells throughout the body. May be given before or after surgery to shrink tumours or reduce recurrence risk. Side effects range from hair loss to nausea.
Hormonal therapy: Stops certain cancers (like breast or prostate) from growing by blocking hormone production or function.
Targeted/biological therapy: Focuses on specific cancer-linked proteins or genetic changes; also includes some immunotherapy drugs.
Stem cell/bone marrow transplant – Replaces damaged blood-forming cells after high-dose chemotherapy or radiotherapy; used in cancers like lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma.
