Off-the-Shelf Cancer Vaccines

The Fixed-Antigen Approach

Off-the-shelf cancer vaccines, also known as fixed-antigen vaccines, target antigens that many patients with the same tumour type share, rather than the mutations unique to one person. Tumour profiling shows which of those antigens a patient carries, and a matching construct is taken off the shelf rather than made from scratch.

How Off-the-Shelf Cancer Vaccines Work

A streamlined three-step process from tumour profiling to mRNA immunotherapy vaccine delivery.

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Step 1

RNA & Protein Profiling of Tumours

Tumour and matched healthy tissue samples are analysed using RNA sequencing and protein profiling to identify which known tumour-associated antigens are expressed in the patient's cancer.

RNA sequencing of tumour and normal tissue

Protein-level validation via immunohistochemistry or mass spectrometry

Expression compared against a panel of known shared tumour antigens

Antigen detected Not detected

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Step 2

Selection of Pre-designed mRNA Vaccine

Based on the antigen profile, a matching pre-manufactured mRNA vaccine is selected from a library of validated constructs targeting commonly expressed tumour-associated antigens.

Library of pre-validated mRNA-LNP vaccine candidates

Antigen profile matched to optimal vaccine construct

Ready-to-use formulation eliminates per-patient manufacturing

Vaccine library, matched construct highlighted

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Step 3

Delivery of mRNA-LNP to Patient

The mRNA-LNP vaccine is administered to the patient. Antigen presenting cells take up the LNP, present tumour antigens, and stimulate T cell expansion to attack the tumour.

mRNA-LNP taken up by antigen presenting cells

Antigen presentation stimulates T cell expansion

Activated T cells recognise and attack tumour cells

How an off-the-shelf mRNA-LNP vaccine drives T cell expansion against a shared tumour antigen.

Personalised vs Fixed-Antigen Cancer Vaccines

Both approaches use mRNA-LNP technology to train the immune system against cancer, and differ only in what they aim at. A personalised cancer vaccine targets the neo-antigens unique to one person's tumour. A fixed-antigen vaccine targets antigens overexpressed across many patients with the same cancer type.

The off-the-shelf approach trades the precision of patient-specific neoantigens for speed and scalability. Vaccines are pre-manufactured and ready to deploy immediately after tumour profiling, without the weeks required for custom mRNA design and manufacturing.