On Jul. 30, 2026, researchers and clinicians from the University of Liverpool and the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre (CCC) announced they are leading a groundbreaking international clinical trial to investigate a personalised cancer vaccine for the most common type of lung cancer. The team, which includes the Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre (LCTC), is studying a bespoke vaccine which is designed to target the unique genetic changes found in each patient’s tumour. The trial has reached a significant milestone, with a patient at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre becoming the first person in the world to receive the pioneering vaccine.

Chris Jones is the first participant to be treated as part of the early-stage clinical trial, marking an important step forward in the development of personalised cancer immunotherapies. Chris, who lives in Hoylake, on the Wirral, has advanced lung cancer that has only partially responded to standard immunotherapy treatment and it is hoped the vaccine will ‘boost’ her immune system to recognise tumour cells and attack them after searching them out in her body, so that she can benefit from her cancer treatment for longer.

Advanced computational technologies, developed by biopharmaceutical company myNEO, identify which tumour-targets the immune system should be aimed against to strengthen the anti-tumour immune response. These targets are manufactured into a vaccine with the use an innovative cell-free manufacturing method to make DNA known as ‘doggybone DNA’ (dbDNA^TM). This technology allows researchers to produce personalised vaccine components rapidly and at a lower cost than more traditional methods.

dbDNA is part of the portfolio of proprietary DNA manufacturing solutions provided by UK-based Touchlight, the market leading synthetic DNA provider, which uses enzymes to amplify DNA efficiently in a laboratory setting, simplifying production. The CCC researchers believe the inclusion of the dbDNA technology will, in future, play an important role in making personalised cancer vaccines capable of delivery at scale, with the collaboration between Clatterbridge and Touchlight providing an important clinical opportunity to demonstrate these benefits.

The trial will involve 10 participants with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Its main aims are to assess safety and to look for early signs that the personalised vaccine might trigger an immune response against this common cancer. In the UK, around 50,000 people are diagnosed with this type of cancer each year, with two million cases globally, making it the third most prevalent cancer in the world.

Chris was referred for tests last year by her GP following a persistent cough and breathlessness. Her father and grandfather died from lung cancer and her worst health concerns were confirmed when she, too, was diagnosed with the disease. Chris was given immunotherapy but it was not tackling the disease, and she was offered the opportunity to join the NEOVACC clinical trial. Chris runs gelato and coffee shop Churn & Chill, in Hoylake, with her daughter, Phoebe – and has been working throughout her treatment – while her other daughter, Grace, is a firefighter. Chris’s first daughter, Alex, died in 2016 from breast cancer aged just 26, three years after her diagnosis.

Chris was given her first round of the cancer vaccine at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool, using the Pharmajet’s Stratis system, a needle-free injection that enhances DNA cancer vaccine performance through optimised delivery to the muscle. She will receive further doses of it over several months alongside standard immunotherapy treatment.