All About Us
What We Do
Cancer vaccines have the potential to increase survival rates and improve patients’ qualify of life. These treatments with generally have fewer side effects than chemotherapy and radiotherapy and may be suitable for the treatment of cancers where there is currently no effective treatment. 
Founded in 2000, the Cancer Vaccine Institute (CVI) is the only national charity in the UK devoted exclusively to funding research into cancer vaccines and offering them to patients around the UK. Our vision is that cancer vaccines will become a standard treatment and improve survival rates and patient's quality of life for a wide range of cancers.
Although vaccines are still in their early stages significant results have already been achieved, particularly with prostate, colorectal, kidney and lung cancer, and many hundreds of patients have benefited. The CVI is currently funding the development of dendritic cell based cancer vaccines for malignant melanoma (the UK’s fastest growing cancer) and will soon embark on clinical trials for childhood sarcomas. Although these cancers often respond to chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments when the disease is caught early, there is a great need for additional treatments when current therapy fails, especially when the disease spreads around the body (secondary cancers).
Vaccines have the potential not only to fight the existing cancer but prevent it from growing, spreading or coming back. They are a relatively new type of treatment and are currently only being "tested" with patients through clinical trials. They are given as a regular injection and because they have few side effects, unlike existing therapies such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, allow the patient to carry on as "normal" while the body silently fights the cancer from within. It is hoped that vaccines can also be used in combination with these therapies to reduce their side effects.
The Research currently funded by the CVI is undertaken by Professor Dalgleish MD FRACPath FRACP FRCP FMedSci and his team at St George's University of London. It involves both laboratory work and clinical trials. A Scientific Board is responsible for independently assessing and prioritising research projects.
We need to raise at least £600,000 each year to meet the costs of this pioneering work. We rely entirely on voluntary contributions to achieve this.
