LynchVax

Lynch syndrome (LS) affects 175,000 people in the UK, and 75 out of every 100 people with LS will develop some kind of cancer during their lifetime. Some people will get more than one kind of cancer.

These cancers happen because people with LS are born with a variant in a gene that makes it harder for their bodies to repair mistakes when DNA copies itself – a process happening in cells all the time. These mistakes, or mutations, can build up, making the cells containing them more likely to transform into cancerous cells. The same mutations though, also make them more visible to the immune system and with enough stimulation, the immune system can attack these abnormal cells and stop cancer from forming.

We have identified several mutations occurring in the most common cancers associated with LS such as colon (bowel) and endometrial (womb) cancer. Our research shows that these mutations appear very early in cancer development in people with LS, making them a good target for a preventative approach.

By targeting these mutations with a vaccine, we may be able to increase the elimination of mutated cells, helping to reduce the risk of cancer transformation in people with LS.