A revolutionary new cancer treatment using messenger RNA (mRNA) has been administered to patients at Hammersmith Hospital in west London, marking the first time such a therapy has been tested in the UK. The clinical trial, known as Mobilize, aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this experimental approach in treating melanoma, lung cancer and other solid tumours.
The therapy works by delivering genetic material—messenger RNA—that presents common markers from tumours to the patient's immune system. This trains the body to recognise and attack cancer cells that express those markers, offering a potentially more precise and less toxic alternative to existing treatments.
“New mRNA-based cancer immunotherapies offer an avenue for recruiting the patient’s own immune system to fight their cancer,” said Dr David Pinato of Imperial College London, an investigator with the trial’s UK arm. “We desperately need these to turn the tide against cancer.” He cautioned that the research is still in early stages and could take years before becoming available to patients.
The Mobilize trial will test the mRNA therapy both alone and in combination with the existing cancer drug pembrolizumab. The primary goal is to determine whether the therapy is safe, well tolerated, and capable of shrinking tumours in patients with lung or skin cancers. Preclinical testing in cell and animal models provided evidence that the therapy could stimulate an immune response, paving the way for these early-phase human trials.
With nearly one in two people in the UK diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and cancer cells often developing resistance to drugs like chemotherapy, researchers are eager to develop new approaches. The new mRNA therapy, which is “ready-made” and tailored to specific cancer types, represents a promising avenue in the fight against difficult-to-treat cancers.
