In this episode of 'Conversations in Lung Cancer Research,' Professor Tom John from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne discusses the significant progress and excitement surrounding cancer vaccines, particularly their emerging role in lung cancer treatment.

He is joined by Professor Ken O'Byrne, a medical oncologist and clinical scientist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and Queensland University of Technology, and Professor Georgina Long AO, the medical director of the Melanoma Institute of Australia and co-recipient of the 2024 Australian of the Year.

The experts delve into technological advances spurred by COVID-19 vaccine development, promising results from recent melanoma and lung cancer vaccine trials, and the potential for personalised neoantigen mRNA vaccines. They also discuss historical challenges in vaccine efficacy and the promising future of immunotherapy and cancer vaccines, including patient perspectives and the logistics of rapid vaccine production and distribution.

00:00 Introduction

03:15 Historical Context of Cancer Vaccines

05:13 Technological Advances in Vaccine Development

06:53 The Promise of mRNA Technology

14:03 Personalised vs. Off-the-Shelf Vaccines

18:02 Identifying Neoantigens for Vaccines

21:13 Caution and Optimism in Vaccine Development

23:18 Exploring Tumour Mutation Burden and Vaccine Bias

29:35 Challenges and Opportunities in Metastatic Disease

33:53 Immunotherapy and Vaccine Hesitancy

37:52 Future of Cancer Vaccines and Rapid Innovation

42:14 Conclusion and Final Thoughts