Cancer Vaccines: The Future is Now

As cancer vaccines move into Phase II and III clinical trials, it is
increasingly important for surgeons to understand their role in this
evolving landscape. What exactly are these vaccines, how do they work,
and what should the surgical community know about their
implementation? Join BTK surgical education fellows Kara Button and
Michelle LaBella as they sit down with Professor Robert Jones to break
down the science of mRNA vaccines, the logistics of tissue
procurement, and the future of cancer care.

Hosts:

- Professor Robert Jones: Consultant Liver Surgeon, Liverpool University
Hospitals; UK National Institute for Healthcare Research, Co-Lead for
the Cancer Vaccine Innovation Pathway, Bowel Cancer UK and Royal
College of Surgeons UK Lead for Research into Advanced Bowel Cancer,
and UK Chief Investigator for the BNT122-01 trial.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-jones-6103722a/

- Kara Button, DO: General Surgery Resident, Maine Medical Center;
Behind the Knife Surgical Education Fellow.

- Michelle LaBella, MD: General Surgery Resident; University of North
Carolina; Behind the Knife Surgical Education Fellow.

References:

https://clinicaltrials.biontech.com/trials/BNT122-01

Jones RP, Lee LYW, Corrie PG, et al. Individualized cancer vaccines
versus surveillance after adjuvant chemotherapy for surgically
resected high-risk stage 2 and stage 3 colorectal cancer: protocol for
a randomized trial. BJS. 2023;110(12):1883-1884.
doi:10.1093/bjs/znad332
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37856683/

Tie J, Wang Y, Loree JM, et al. Circulating tumor DNA-guided adjuvant
therapy in locally advanced colon cancer: the randomized phase 2/3
DYNAMIC-III trial. Nat Med. 2025;31(12):4291-4300.
doi:10.1038/s41591-025-04030-w
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41115959/

Rojas LA, Sethna Z, Soares KC, et al. Personalized RNA neoantigen
vaccines stimulate T cells in pancreatic cancer. Nature.
2023;618(7963):144-150. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06063-y
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37165196/

https://www.cancer.ox.ac.uk/research/lynchvax#:~:text=The%20LynchVax%20program%2C%20funded%20by,individuals%20with%20this%20genetic%20condition

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