The granddad whose own body is being 'trained' to kill off cancer in groundbreaking treatment

A Morris dancing grandfather with cancer has become one of the first patients in the UK to take part in a ground-breaking new clinical trial at The Christie in Manchester.

Richard Nelson, 73, has stage three bowel cancer, but now his own immune system is being effectively trained to identify and attack any new cancerous cells. It's hoped his new 'personalised' treatment - a series of injections - will prevent his cancer from returning.

Retired college vice-principal Mr Nelson, from Timperley, Trafford, has had surgery to remove a tumour, qualifying him for the trial. The trial treatment, two injections five minutes apart, is known as a 'vaccine'.

READ MORE: Post Offices in Greater Manchester face closure - full list of branches

DNA from cancer cells was found in Mr Nelson's blood, meaning his cancer would have a greater chance of coming back, consultants at the hospital said. Usually, vaccines are designed to prevent disease - training a body's immune system to not get an infection.

But in the case of the so-called cancer vaccines, they have been created as a treatment once someone has been diagnosed. The jabs he's received aim to make the body recognise cancer cells and kill them, reducing the risk of the disease recurring, with the professor leading the trial saying Mr Nelson's treatment was now 'primed to attack his unique cancer and prevent any new cancer cells'.

The Christie said the treatments were called vaccines because they aim to teach and activate the immune system to fight cancer, like vaccines teach the immune system to protect the body from viruses and bacteria. Mr Nelson's personalised vaccine was developed using part of his tumour.

Mr Nelson, a grandfather to five year-old twins, was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer 12 months ago and had surgery last December. It was then discovered the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes.

He agreed to take part in the research at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at The Christie and started having the injections at the beginning of September. He will continue to be on the treatment until July 2025.

Professor Mark Saunders, a consultant oncologist at The Christie, is leading on the clinical trial. He said: “In Richard's case we found DNA from cancer cells in his blood, so unfortunately Richard's cancer would have a greater chance of coming back.

"The hope is that patients who are given the personalised vaccines have a better chance of long-term survival and cure. Richard’s personalised vaccine is primed to attack his unique cancer and prevent any new cancer cells from returning in the future."

Mr Nelson said he enjoys long-distance walks and his hobbies include Morris dancing and playing in a folk band. He said: "When I was approached to take part in the trial I welcomed the opportunity. I'm very happy to take part. I hope it will benefit me, but I also hope it'll help other people in the long run.

"I have had a couple of side effects after some, but not all, of the injections, mainly a short period of quite severe shivering and an elevated temperature, rather like the symptoms of the onset of ‘flu.

"These begin a few hours after being given the vaccine and are an indication that the treatment is working. The symptoms don't last very long, and I am able to resume normal life as soon as they have passed."

The vaccines take just weeks to make after cancer cells are taken from a patient. German biopharmaceutical company BioNTech SE are jointly developing the vaccines, known as BNT122-01 with Genetech, a member of the Roche Group. The trial is now recruiting patients in the UK and the United States.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 11 per cent of all new cancer cases, according to figures. Not all patients will fit the criteria for a specific trial.

The Christie is a specialist cancer centre in Manchester and has more than 120 years of expertise in cancer care, research and education. It is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year."