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More than 100 patients with advanced head and neck cancer will be fast-tracked into a trial of an investigational mRNA cancer vaccine, NHS England has announced.
NHS England said on 8 August 2025 that the trial will run across 15 NHS hospitals over 12 months.
The research will be supported by the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, a collaboration with pharmaceutical company BioNTech to speed up access to cancer vaccine clinical trials.
A statement from NHS England said: “The first head and neck cancer patients in England have received the investigational mRNA cancer vaccine in the clinical trial, known as AHEAD-MERIT (BNT113-01), with more patients to soon be enrolled at their nearest NHS hospital.”
The vaccine has been designed to “encode two proteins that are frequently found in head and neck squamous cell cancers associated with human papillomavirus (HPV-16), the most common type of head and neck cancer (accounting for 95% of these types of cancers), with the vaccine training the immune system to fight the cancer”, NHS England added.
Data show that more than 11,000 head and neck cancers are diagnosed in England each year, most commonly occurring in the mouth, throat or voice box. Advanced cases are typically difficult to treat and have a two-year survival rate of 50%.
According to NHS England, this is the third cancer vaccine trial to be run through the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, coordinated by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, with around 550 patients already referred to trials of vaccines for bowel and skin cancers.
A spokesperson for the British Oncology Pharmacy Association (BOPA) commented: “This initiative represents a significant advancement in personalised cancer care, leveraging mRNA technology to offer targeted treatment options that could improve outcomes and quality of life for patients.
“As cancer pharmacy professionals, we recognise the critical role of clinical trials in accelerating access to innovative therapies. The fast-tracking of eligible patients into these trials is a testament to the NHS’s commitment to equitable and cutting-edge cancer care. We echo the vision of NHS England, BioNTech and the multidisciplinary teams involved in driving this forward.
“BOPA remains committed to supporting pharmacy professionals in delivering excellence in cancer care and research, and we look forward to seeing the impact of this programme on patient outcomes,” they added.
Tamara Kahn, chief executive of charity Oracle Head and Neck Cancer UK, said: “With two-thirds of head and neck cancer patients diagnosed at late stage and facing survival rates under 50% at two years, this cancer vaccine trial offers crucial hope to those living advanced stages of cancer.”
