mRNA Covid shots could make cancer immunotherapy more effective, says study

Scientists have found that Covid-19 mRNA vaccines could enhance immune responses in cancer patients, potentially transforming how immunotherapy works

  A new research suggests that Covid-19 mRNA vaccines may do more than prevent viral infections – they could also improve how the immune system fights cancer. A study published in Nature indicates that these vaccines might enhance the effects of immunotherapy drugs, marking a potential new chapter in cancer care.

 

What the research found

The study titled- ‘SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines sensitize tumours to immune checkpoint blockade’, found that patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or metastatic melanoma lived longer if they had received an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine near the start of their immunotherapy treatment.

 

Among 180 NSCLC patients, those vaccinated within 100 days of beginning immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy had a median overall survival of 37.3 months, compared to 20.6 months for 704 unvaccinated patients. Similarly, in metastatic melanoma, vaccinated patients had a three-year survival rate of 67.6 per cent, compared with 44.1 per cent among those who were not vaccinated.

 

The findings suggest that the vaccine’s immune-activating properties could work in synergy with immunotherapy drugs that help the body recognise and attack cancer cells.

 

How vaccines help fight cancer

The mRNA vaccines act as an immune system “booster”. They trigger the production of type I interferons – molecules that activate key immune cells and prepare the body for a stronger response.

 

This activation helps antigen-presenting cells stimulate certain T-cells, which are crucial for attacking tumour cells. It may also cause tumour cells to produce more PD-L1, a protein that helps them respond better to cancer drugs such as pembrolizumab or nivolumab.

 

In laboratory studies, “cold” tumours, which usually resist immunotherapy, responded better when treated with a combination of mRNA vaccine and ICI therapy, suggesting that vaccination could help “warm up” previously unresponsive cancers.

 

Potential impact on cancer treatment

This discovery could have major implications for cancer treatment. Checkpoint inhibitors have already revolutionised oncology, but many patients do not respond to them because their tumours lack sufficient immune activity.

 

If mRNA vaccines can trigger that activity, they could significantly expand the number of patients who benefit from immunotherapy. What makes this particularly exciting is that Covid-19 mRNA vaccines are already available worldwide and are either low-cost or provided free of charge.

 

“The really exciting part of our work is that it points to the possibility that widely available, low-cost vaccines have the potential to dramatically improve the effectiveness of certain immune therapies,” said study co-author Dr Adam Grippin from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.

 

Limitations of the study

While the results are encouraging, researchers caution that the findings are preliminary. The Nature study was retrospective, meaning it analysed existing patient data rather than testing the effect in a controlled clinical trial.

 

This means the association between vaccination and improved survival might not directly prove causation. The benefits also seem dependent on timing. The positive effects appeared strongest when vaccination occurred close to the start of immunotherapy.

 

Furthermore, the evidence so far focuses on specific cancers, mainly lung and melanoma. It remains to be seen whether similar improvements would be seen in other cancer types.

 

Next: Prospective clinical trials

Researchers are now calling for prospective clinical trials to confirm whether mRNA vaccines truly enhance immunotherapy outcomes. These trials will help determine:

• Which tumour types respond best to this approach
• The ideal timing between vaccination and treatment
• Any potential safety concerns or side effects from combining the two

 

While more research is needed, these early findings offer hope that an innovation born from a pandemic could open new doors in cancer treatment, making immunotherapy work better for more patients around the world.