Clinical trials for first lung cancer vaccine underway. Where in Va. and Md. is it being tested

The first vaccine that aims to kill the most common form of lung cancer and keep it from coming back is being tested in Maryland and Virginia as part of a global clinical trial.

Known as BNT116, and made by German biotechnology company BioNTech, the vaccine targets non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, the most common type of lung cancer.

Unlike vaccines to prevent viruses, BNT116 is designed to eliminate cancer cells and prevent recurrence, by training the immune system to recognize and attack tumor markers that are specific to NSCLC.

The vaccine is claimed to use the same mRNA technology instrumental in COVID-19 vaccines.

If the trial proves successful, the vaccine could help prevent recurrence for patients already being treated for lung cancer. Even with early-stage surgery, lung cancer recurs often.

According to information from the National Institutes of Health’s ClinicalTrials.gov website, potential participants in the trial of BNT166 are being recruited in the D.C. region at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and NEXT Virginia in Fairfax.

This first-in-human trial is expected to enroll approximately 130 participants from around the world.

The trial includes testing the efficacy of BNT166 by itself, as monotherapy, as well as in conjunction with chemotherapy drugs, and immunotherapy.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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