The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has become the world’s leading recruiting site for a major international clinical trial investigating a potential new treatment for some people with advanced head and neck cancer.
The AHEAD-MERIT BNT113 study is looking at whether an mRNA cancer vaccine, given in combination with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, can improve outcomes for some head and neck cancer patients not fully responding to standard treatment.
According to the study’s latest global recruitment update, Clatterbridge (CCC) is the top enrolling site internationally by number of patients randomised for the clinical trial. The UK is the highest enrolling country in the global trial, which has screened more than 800 patients worldwide and randomised more than 300. The latest data shows that CCC has randomised 22 patients for the study, which is led at Clatterbridge by its Principal Investigator, Professor Christian Ottensmeier.
Prof Ottensmeier said: “This is a fantastic achievement for our team and reflects years of hard work in building a cancer vaccine programme that can deliver complex, cutting-edge trials for our patients.
“Being the top recruiting site in the world for AHEAD-MERIT shows the strength of research at Clatterbridge and the commitment of colleagues across our head and neck cancer, research, pharmacy and wider clinical teams. Most importantly, it means patients in Cheshire and Merseyside are being offered early access to trials of innovative treatments that could help shape cancer care in the future.”
The AHEAD-MERIT study is sponsored by BioNTech and is open at research hospitals across the world. BNT113 is designed to help the immune system recognise cancer cells linked to HPV16, a strain of human papillomavirus associated with some head and neck cancers. Patients with unresectable recurrent or metastatic HPV16-positive, PD-L1-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma are eligible for the clinical trial.
Participants receive either BNT113 in combination with pembrolizumab or pembrolizumab alone as a first-line treatment. The study is comparing the two approaches to understand whether adding the investigational vaccine can improve treatment outcomes.
Dr Gillian Heap, CCC’s Director of Research Operations, said: “This is wonderful news and a real tribute to everyone involved in delivering this study. Recruiting patients to complex international clinical trials requires close teamwork, careful planning and a strong research culture.
“Our teams have worked incredibly hard to make sure eligible patients can be considered for this trial safely and efficiently. Achievements like this underline Clatterbridge’s reputation as a leading NHS cancer research centre and show how we are helping to bring promising new therapies closer to patients.”
Head and neck cancers can affect areas including the mouth, throat, voice box and tongue. More than 11,000 new cases are diagnosed in England each year, with Cheshire and Merseyside having a higher than average instance of the disease. Some head and neck cancers are linked to HPV, and researchers around the world are investigating whether cancer vaccines can help the immune system target cancer cells more effectively.
Joan Spencer, CCC Chief Executive, said: “This is a proud moment for Clatterbridge and for Liverpool. To be leading the world on recruitment to this important study is an outstanding achievement and reflects the expertise, dedication and ambition of our teams.
“Research is central to improving cancer care and giving patients access to the treatments of tomorrow. We are delighted that Clatterbridge is playing such a significant role in this international effort.”
The achievement follows Clatterbridge’s growing involvement in cancer vaccine research, led by Prof Ottensmeier, who added: “Cancer vaccines are one of the most exciting areas of cancer research. There is still much to learn, but trials such as AHEAD-MERIT are vital if we are to understand which patients may benefit and how these approaches could be used alongside existing treatments.”
The AHEAD-MERIT study remains a clinical trial and the effectiveness of BNT113 is still being investigated. Patients should speak to their clinical team about whether any trial is appropriate for them.
