Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

What is Lynch syndrome?

Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition, which causes an increased risk of certain cancers. It is caused by a mutation (a genetic change) in one of five different genes.

For more information about Lynch syndrome please visit:

A beginner's guide to Lynch Syndrome | Royal Marsden Patient Information Library

Or:

Lynch Choices - Lynch choices (canchoose.org.uk)

If you or your family have been affected by Lynch Syndrome you might be interested in joining the Lynch syndrome UK support group:

Bowel Cancer | Lynch Syndrome UK (lynch-syndrome-uk.org) 

What is a vaccine?

Vaccines are medications that teach your immune system how to create antibodies that protect you from diseases.

It's much safer for your immune system to learn this through vaccination than by catching the diseases and treating them.

Once your immune system knows how to fight a disease, it can often give you lifelong protection.

For more information please visit:

Why vaccination is important and the safest way to protect yourself - NHS (www.nhs.uk) 

Who is this vaccine for?

The vaccine that we are developing, if successful, will be aimed at people diagnosed with Lynch Syndrome and will not be recommended for the general public.

Will there be a clinical trial for this vaccine?

If our research programme is successful, and we are sufficiently convinced of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, we will be looking to test it in a clinical trial.

We do not know yet when and if this will happen, but we are doing our best to bring our research to people with Lynch syndrome as quickly as possible.

Will the vaccine be safe and effective?

The purpose of this research programme is to develop a vaccine and test its efficacy and safety. We do not know yet but the UK regulatory body for medicines and healthcare products (MHRA) will rigorously check our results to ensure that the vaccine is safe and effective and will ask for additional tests if needed before a clinical trial.

How can I sign up for the clinical trial if there is one?

When and if a clinical trial is approved, we will advertise it on this website as well as other NHS outlets like: be part of research.

We will also keep close ties with the Lynch Syndrome UK support group to inform them or any eventual clinical trials.

Would the vaccine help people with Lynch who had cancer already?

We aim to design a vaccine that could help all people with Lynch Syndrome whether or not they have been diagnosed with cancer.

The efficacy in all groups of people with Lynch Syndrome will still have to be rigorously tested via clinical trials

What types of cancers will the vaccine target?

We aim to design a vaccine that would target all cancers developed by people with Lynch syndrome but our research mostly focuses on bowel, womb, oesophageal, stomach and ovarian cancers

How is this vaccine different from other ongoing trials?

Other cancer vaccines that are being tested through clinical trials aim to reduce recurrence of disease in people who have already got cancer. The LynchVax project hopes to create a vaccine that can be given to healthy people with Lynch syndrome to prevent cancer before it develops.

We have more in-depth data on larger groups of people than other Lynch syndrome studies. Unlike other studies, we are not only focusing on bowel cancer but on a range of cancers that can affect people with Lynch Syndrome.

Would a vaccine affect my children in the future?

Unfortunately, the beneficial effects of vaccinations will not be passed onto your children. They will still be at risk of inheriting the mutations that cause Lynch Syndrome.

At the moment, there is no proof that existing vaccines affect your fertility or ability to get pregnant.