Scottish Woman Becomes First in Europe to Receive Personalised Cancer Vaccine

Jennifer Robertson, 59, is participating in a groundbreaking clinical trial using mRNA technology to treat gastro-oesophageal cancer.

Jennifer Robertson, from Dundee, is the first European and fifth person worldwide to receive a personalised cancer vaccine targeting gastro-oesophageal cancer.
The vaccine, developed by Moderna and MSD, uses mRNA technology similar to Covid-19 vaccines to train the immune system to attack cancer cells.
The treatment, known as individualised neoantigen therapy, is being tested in a phase 1 trial involving 20 patients globally with stomach or gastro-oesophageal cancer.
Robertson will receive up to nine doses of the vaccine alongside traditional treatments like surgery and chemotherapy at the Tayside Cancer Centre in Scotland.
Researchers believe this novel approach could transform cancer treatment by offering more precise, less toxic therapies for solid tumours, with potential future applications for other cancers.