Researchers at the University of Oxford are working on the world’s first vaccine for ovarian cancer, which could potentially eliminate the deadly disease.
Named OvarianVax, the vaccine aims to teach the immune system to recognise and attack the earliest stages of ovarian cancer. If successful, the vaccine could be given preventatively to women on the NHS, with the goal of eradicating the disease.
Professor Ahmed Ahmed, director of the ovarian cancer cell laboratory at Oxford’s MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, and his team are identifying the cellular targets for the vaccine, specifically proteins found on early-stage ovarian cancer cells.
These targets will be tested in the lab, with human clinical trials following in people with BRCA gene mutations and healthy women to determine the vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing the disease.
“We still have a long way to go but it is a really exciting time,” Prof Ahmed said. “Absolutely – that would be the aim” when asked if the vaccine could wipe out ovarian cancer.
Cancer Research UK is funding the study with £600,000 over three years, with trials expected to show results in four to five years.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, hailed OvarianVax as an important step towards cancer prevention, building on advancements in vaccine technology during the pandemic.
The vaccine could be particularly beneficial for women with BRCA gene mutations, who face a significantly higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Currently, women with these mutations are advised to have their ovaries removed by age 35, which leads to early menopause. Prof Ahmed believes the vaccine could offer these women an alternative. “They wouldn’t then have to have their ovaries removed,” he said.
The vaccine will also be tested on women in the general population to explore its broader preventive potential. While full approval for the vaccine might take many years, researchers are optimistic about its early impact.
Ovarian cancer remains a significant health concern, with around 7,500 new cases each year in the UK, and the new vaccine could mark a breakthrough in long-term cancer prevention.