Lynch syndrome is a heritable genetic condition. It is caused by an altered copy of one of a small number of our genes involved in processes that help repair our DNA. Failure to repair DNA can cause damage in genes that control growth, increasing the risk of cancer.
Around 175,000–200,000 people are estimated to have Lynch syndrome in the UK and less than 5% (around 10,000 people) have been diagnosed.
People with Lynch syndrome have a higher overall risk of developing bowel cancer, as well as other types of cancer including womb cancer (also known as endometrial cancer) and ovarian cancer. Lynch syndrome is estimated to cause around 3% of bowel cancer cases in the UK every year, many of them in people under the age of 50. Up to 7 in 10 people with Lynch syndrome will develop bowel cancer in their lifetime.
The scientists have been awarded up to £550,000 by Cancer Research UK to carry out the underpinning work to test the potential of a vaccine for patients with Lynch syndrome.
The first steps will see the team analysing cells that are showing early signs of becoming cancerous (called “pre-cancers”) from people with Lynch syndrome. They will use this information to determine which parts of a pre-cancer can be attacked by the immune system and whether a vaccine approach is likely to work to prevent cancer.
With this knowledge, the researchers believe they could potentially design a vaccine that teaches the immune system to recognise pre-cancer cells and destroy them before they become cancer.
While the research will likely take years for the technology to reach a point where it is ready to be tested in clinical trials, the team believe Cancer Research UK’s funding of this project is an important first step in the vaccine’s development.
Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive at Cancer Research UK, said: ‘Cancer vaccines continue to show promise in helping to create a world where people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. Projects like LynchVax are a really important step forward into an exciting future, where cancers that occur in people with Lynch syndrome could potentially be prevented.’
Professor David Church, Associate Professor at the Centre for Human Genetics and co-lead of the LynchVax research team, said: ‘It is estimated that less than 5% of people with Lynch syndrome are aware that they have the condition. Yet it accounts for an estimated 1,300 cases of bowel cancer and increases the risk of other types of cancer in this population in the UK. We hope our research will lay the early foundations to potentially prevent these cases through vaccination, removing the fear of cancer from people whose chances of developing it in their lifetime are far higher.’
Professor Simon Leedham, Professor of Molecular Genetics at the Centre for Human Genetics and co-lead of the LynchVax research team, said: ‘People with Lynch syndrome are at very high risk of developing bowel cancer, womb cancer and other cancers – so much so that they get invited to attend bowel screening appointments at a younger age than the rest of the UK population. LynchVax has the potential to reduce that risk. While our work is in its infancy, we are excited by the prospect of a vaccine that can potentially be used to prevent the multiple types of cancer that typically occur in people with Lynch syndrome and deliver tangible improvements in survival.’
The research team are also working with people with Lynch syndrome who have been helping to co-develop the project so far and will continue to be involved as the research progresses.
Alongside the scientific work, the team will consult a larger number of people living with Lynch syndrome on their views about using vaccination to prevent cancer.
Helen White, member of the LynchVax patient and public involvement group, said: ‘I am delighted to be part of the patient and public involvement group working with the LynchVax research team that is developing this potentially life-changing vaccine for people like me with Lynch syndrome. As passionate advocates for involving people with lived experience in research, we fully endorse the plans to reach out to the wider Lynch syndrome community to gather their views on a cancer-preventing vaccine. This is a crucial step in preparing for future clinical trials.’
LynchVax is one of several projects funded under Cancer Research UK’s prevention research strategy, which aims to use discoveries in the lab to find more precise ways to prevent cancer. This includes research into a vaccine to prevent lung cancer (LungVax).