Celebrating groundbreaking research and innovation this World Cancer Day

It was World Cancer Day on 4 February, a day that allowed us the chance to reflect on some of the life-saving innovations that Southampton is leading on, and – most importantly – the people whose stories have changed course because of them.  

It’s also a chance to thank you, the Southampton Together community, for making the Centre for Cancer Immunology – and the huge strides in cancer research that happen here – possible.

From advances in immunology and cancer vaccines to improving early diagnosis and finding kinder, less invasive treatments, our interdisciplinary research teams – which include specialists in areas from AI to bioengineering – continue to make progress towards a world where cancer can be cured.

Here’s just a snapshot of some of the incredible work that’s taking place across our University.

Allan’s story

When Allan Peters was diagnosed with terminal cancer, his world stopped.

He was told there was no cure for stage 4b lymphoma, so began preparing for the inevitable. He even received a heartfelt letter of condolence from King Charles, whom Allan had come to know during his years as a royal protection officer.

But thanks to cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and treatment, Allan’s story took an extraordinary turn.

Allan was the fifth patient to undergo CAR T cell therapy at University Hospital Southampton. This groundbreaking treatment re-engineers a patient’s own immune cells to target and destroy cancer.

Sean Lim, Professor of Haematology at the University of Southampton’s Centre for Cancer Immunology, works on developing new immunotherapies. She said: “CAR T cell therapy enables T cells, a type of white blood cell, to recognise cancer cells and attack them. This involves collecting a patient’s T cells and modifying them so that they can recognise the cancer cells. The modified T cells are then reinfused into the patient so that they can kill the cancer cells.”

After five weeks of treatment, Allan’s scans showed no trace of cancer. Now, two years on, he remains in remission – a living testament to the power of innovation in cancer care. He said: “It’s like a miracle cure. I am so grateful to the medical teams who gave me a second chance at life.”

A revolutionary new cancer blood test

A new test to diagnose multiple cancers, miONCO, has been developed by University of Southampton scientists Dr Andy Shapanis and Professor Paul Skipp, making it possible to detect cancer symptoms before they develop.

Hailed as a ‘game-changer’, with the potential to save millions of lives, miONCO uses a panel of biomarkers and artificial intelligence to identify 12 cancers simultaneously, across any stage, from a sample using just 10 to 15 drops of blood. It tests for the most common types of cancer – lung, breast, prostate, pancreatic, colorectal, ovarian, liver, brain, oesophageal, bladder, bone and soft tissue sarcoma, and gastric cancer.

Cancer survival rates are just 10 per cent when cancer is diagnosed at a late stage, but as high as 90 per cent when diagnosed at an early stage.

Professor Skipp said: “This test has the potential to save many lives by catching cancers much earlier than currently possible, making it a real game-changer.

“Only three types of cancer currently have available screening tests, and they can only test for one cancer at a time. These tests have a very high false positive rate, where patients are incorrectly told they have cancer when in fact, they don’t. As well as being incredibly stressful for them, this leads to expensive follow-up testing to confirm the diagnosis.

“This new test focuses on delivering a more comprehensive test that is both faster and more affordable, with the ultimate goal of making it available to the NHS and other healthcare providers.”

Further work on the test will analyse 8,000 samples drawn from a diverse cohort, ensuring its efficacy across various genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

Watch ‘A Deep Dive into Cancer Vaccines’

On Monday 27 January, we hosted A Deep Dive into Cancer Vaccines: Uncovering the groundbreaking science behind the headlines, where our experts shared how their world class cancer immunology research is helping to develop life-saving vaccines.

Watch back to learn about the incredible impact of our work in cancer vaccines through the story of one of our patients, and find out how donations from alumni and supporters like you are driving forward this life-saving research.

Support our research

Advancements like CAR T cell therapy, the miONCO diagnostic test and cancer vaccines are only possible because of your generosity. Your support will help to accelerate this research and many more innovations, giving hope to patients like Allan.

To donate, click here.