A new vaccine designed to fight cancer cells is showing promising signs in early-stage clinical trials, offering fresh hope for people with advanced cancers. The groundbreaking treatment, developed by Moderna—the pharmaceutical company behind one of the leading COVID-19 vaccines—could represent a significant step forward in cancer treatment.

The vaccine, known as mRNA-4359, is designed to prime the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells, much like how COVID-19 vaccines teach the body to identify and fight the virus. By using mRNA technology, it instructs the body’s immune system to differentiate between healthy and cancerous cells, triggering a targeted immune response to fight tumours.

How does the Vaccine work?

In the initial phase-one clinical trial, 19 patients with advanced solid tumours, such as melanoma and lung cancer, were administered the mRNA-4359 vaccine. Of the 16 patients evaluated, eight showed no tumour growth or development of new tumours, a promising outcome considering their advanced conditions. The treatment was also well-tolerated, with no severe side effects reported, marking an encouraging milestone in cancer immunotherapy.

Chief investigator Dr. Debashis Sarker from King’s College London noted that the trial, while still in early stages, demonstrated the vaccine’s ability to safely stimulate the immune system. “This study evaluating an mRNA cancer immunotherapy is an important first step in hopefully developing a new treatment for patients with advanced cancers,” Dr. Sarker said. However, he stressed the need for further research due to the small sample size involved in the trial.

What Makes This Vaccine Different?

The cancer vaccine uses similar technology to that employed in Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines. It works by mobilizing the immune system to recognize cancer-specific proteins, prompting a more precise attack on tumour cells. What makes this approach unique is its potential to target various cancers, particularly in patients whose cancers are resistant to conventional therapies.

Currently, the vaccine is being tested in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an immunotherapy drug commonly used in chemotherapy, in patients with melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer. The aim is to assess whether the combined treatment can create a more favourable tumour environment for the immune system to attack cancer cells.

What Does This Mean for Cancer Patients?

While the results are promising, experts caution that the vaccine is still in the early stages of development. Dr. Sarker emphasized that it’s too soon to determine its overall effectiveness. However, the encouraging results offer a ray of hope for people with advanced-stage cancers, who often have limited treatment options.

This trial is just one of several exploring the use of mRNA vaccines to treat cancer. Another promising trial involves a personalized mRNA vaccine for melanoma, mRNA-4157, which uses DNA sequencing and artificial intelligence to create a tailored vaccine for each patient’s tumour. Additionally, BioNTech, the German company behind another COVID-19 vaccine, is testing a lung cancer vaccine (BNT116) in patients in the UK and beyond.

Given the rising number of cancer cases worldwide—over 48,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK each year, with 35,000 deaths—it’s clear that more effective treatment options are urgently needed. Could cancer vaccines like mRNA-4359 hold the key?

Moderna’s trial is now enrolling more patients across the UK, USA, Spain, and Australia, as researchers continue to study the vaccine’s effectiveness. As mRNA technology continues to advance, the potential for a cancer vaccine that could offer long-term protection and treatment for various types of cancer grows increasingly within reach.

Could cancer vaccines be the future of cancer treatment? What hurdles remain before these treatments can become widely available? While there are still many questions, the early results from these trials signal a shift in how we approach cancer therapy, offering a new frontier of hope for patients and their families.

A 61-year-old man in New York died after being pulled into an MRI machine by the heavy weight-training metal chain around his neck. It is still not clear if he had entered the scanning room to check on a relative or for his own scan when the powerful magnetic force dragged him toward the machine. The incident took place at Nassau Open MRI in Long Island while a scan was underway, according to NBC New York. Despite efforts to save him, he suffered a medical emergency and died the next day in hospital.

Here is why that happened and what everyone needs to know about MRI safety, especially when it comes to metal.

The magnetic pull

MRI machines run on ultra‑strong magnetic fields that are always on. They do not get switched off when no one is using them. Even the tiniest metal item, say, a coin, a belt buckle, or a smear of glittery eyeliner, can turn into a flying hazard. Hospitals train staff relentlessly to treat these rooms like a high-voltage zone.

The machine’s pull is so strong it can lift heavy objects and sling them across the room. There are reports of chains turning into projectiles and oxygen tanks being ripped from hands.

What went wrong this time

The man, reportedly, was not the patient. He was accompanying someone who was. But when he heard a scream from inside the scan room, he rushed in wearing a large metal chain. Despite staff shouting at him to stop, he entered the magnet zone.

Within seconds, the necklace was yanked toward the machine’s core. He was dragged with it and suffered serious trauma. Officially, it is being called a “medical episode”, but doctors suspect things like strangulation or spinal injuries. He died the following day in hospital.

Why MRI safety rules are not optional

When a hospital tells you to remove all metal, including rings, watches, piercings, underwired bras, belts or coins, they mean it. All of it. And it is not just about what you can see. Things inside your body, like surgical implants, pacemakers, pins, plates, cochlear devices, and even tattoos with metallic ink, matter too. These are not suggestions. They are hard rules, born from experience. It only takes one forgotten item to trigger disaster.

What not to wear or carry into an MRI room

• Necklaces, earrings, body jewellery
• Hairpins, clips, even mascara or eyeliner with shimmer
• Metal fasteners or zips in clothes
• Phones, keys, coins, wallets
• Hearing aids, removable dental gear
• Any implanted device or medical hardware
• Even makeup can be risky. Some brands use metallic particles for shine, which the scanner does not take kindly to.

Before an MRI, staff will ask you questions: “Any implants?” “Any metal in your body?” “Do you wear a hearing aid?” It might seem repetitive, but there is a reason behind it.

Patients who hide piercings, forget body modifications, or downplay surgical histories are not just risking their scan; they are risking their life. The machine’s magnetic field can interfere with implants, pull on metal fragments, or heat up tattoo ink.

Before you go near the scanner, make sure to:

• Strip off all metal
• Leave electronics outside
• Be upfront about medical history
• Ask questions if unsure
• And if you are not the patient, stay behind the line
• Even something as small as walking into the room at the wrong moment can have consequences.

Bolivia is in the middle of a public health emergency. Measles—once thought to be close to eradication in many parts of the world—has returned, with 60 confirmed cases sparking alarm across the country. In response, India dispatched 300,000 doses of the combined Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccine, providing a much-needed boost to Bolivia's immunization drive.

This timely shipment comes as the South American country scrambles to contain the outbreak. The Bolivian government has declared a National Health Emergency, activated emergency protocols, and called on local governments and global partners to ramp up vaccination efforts.

Measles is often underestimated, especially in countries where immunization coverage is high. But here’s the reality: measles is one of the most contagious viruses known to humans. It can cause severe complications—pneumonia, encephalitis, and even death—especially in children under five or those with malnutrition.

Bolivia's Health Minister Maria Renee Castro made it clear: the outbreak could spiral if parents don’t act. “It is essential that parents get their children vaccinated,” she said. Though the country has half a million doses in stock, coverage is falling short. And that’s the bigger issue.

What Triggered The Measles Outbreak In Bolivia?

The current crisis didn’t appear overnight. Like many countries, Bolivia experienced disruptions in routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Combined with misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, and uneven access to healthcare in remote areas, immunization rates dropped to dangerously low levels.

This created fertile ground for the measles virus to resurface. Unlike other diseases that require direct contact, measles is airborne and can linger in the air for hours. Just one infected person can spread it to up to 18 others in an unvaccinated population.

India’s shipment of vaccines is part of a larger diplomatic and public health strategy. Known as the pharmacy of the Global South, India has been supplying vaccines and essential medicines to dozens of countries for decades. During the COVID-19 crisis, its Vaccine Maitri initiative helped over 90 nations.

In Bolivia’s case, the consignment not only supports outbreak response—it also reflects India’s growing role as a global health partner. By responding quickly and decisively, India is showing that vaccine diplomacy can fill the void where traditional global mechanisms may be slower to act.

Bolivia’s response plan now hinges on mass immunization campaigns—especially for children under five. President Luis Arce Catacora urged citizens to fully cooperate with health authorities. “Our duty is clear: to protect our children and the population from a threat that has already raised health alerts across the continent,” he said.

These campaigns will be coordinated across local and regional levels, supported by international organizations and bilateral partners like India. The goal is twofold: contain the outbreak quickly and restore public trust in routine immunizations.

What’s happening in Bolivia is a warning to the rest of the world. The measles virus doesn’t respect borders, and as global travel resumes, so does the risk of transmission. According to the World Health Organization, measles cases and deaths globally rose by 43% in 2022 alone. If global immunization coverage falls below 95%—especially for the two-dose measles vaccine—outbreaks are inevitable.

From Vaccine Access to Outbreak Prevention: The Missing Link

Here’s what this crisis teaches us: access to vaccines alone isn't enough. Countries need resilient health systems that can deliver these vaccines consistently, even in remote areas and during disruptions like a pandemic or natural disaster.

What this really means is that vaccine availability, while crucial, must be paired with last-mile delivery, consistent public messaging, and community trust. Otherwise, even the best stockpile can’t stop a virus that spreads faster than the news of its arrival.

The resurgence of measles in Bolivia isn’t just a regional emergency—it’s a global red flag. If countries let their guard down, diseases that were nearly eliminated will come roaring back. India’s support to Bolivia is a timely reminder that in public health, preparedness is not a choice, it’s a necessity.

Measles is preventable. The vaccine works. The challenge is ensuring it's not just produced and delivered—but also accepted, administered, and trusted. That’s the path to not just containing outbreaks—but ending them for good.

Just as British summer hits full swing, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has dropped a warning: slushies may not be so child-friendly after all. In an urgent new advisory, the FSA has warned parents to steer clear of giving slush ice drinks to children under seven, especially those containing a chemical called glycerol. And for kids between seven and ten? Keep it to a strict 350 ml a day.

What’s So Dangerous About a Slushie?

Slushies may seem like they beat the heat, but beneath that colour lies a syrupy science experiment. Most commercial slush drinks get their signature texture from glycerol, a compound that keeps ice from freezing into one giant block and gives slushies their semi-liquid, chewable charm. The trouble is, glycerol is harmful when consumed in large quantities, especially by small bodies.

According to the FSA, excessive intake of glycerol in a short span can cause mild symptoms like nausea, headaches and vomiting. But in more severe cases, children can suffer from dangerously low blood sugar, go into shock, or even lose consciousness.

The Risks Are Real and Rising

This warning did not come out of nowhere. The FSA has seen a surge in reports of children collapsing after drinking slushies. In many of these cases, the affected kids had consumed slush drinks in large amounts over a short period.

Summer’s New Parenting Rule

The FSA is urging parents and carers to be vigilant. Before buying a slushie, they recommend asking vendors whether the drink contains glycerol. If you are not sure, play it safe, especially with younger kids. Parents should also keep an eye on home-use slush kits and ready-to-drink slush pouches, which may also include this ingredient.

The shops have now also been instructed to stop offering free slushie refills for children under 10 and to use the minimal amount of glycerol necessary to get that slushy texture.

What to Do If a Slushie Turns Sour

If your child starts feeling queasy or dizzy after downing a slushie, do not panic, but do act. In mild cases, giving them a sugary snack or drink can help stabilise blood sugar levels. But if your child seems lethargic, confused, or unresponsive, call 999 immediately. It is better to be overly cautious than to risk a serious health episode.

Slushie Season, But Make It Safer

This new advice arrives just ahead of the school summer holidays, the peak slushie season in the UK. As temperatures soar, these icy drinks will be everywhere. The message from the FSA is clear: slushies are not forbidden, but they are not harmless either. Especially when they are packed with glycerol and served up to tiny tummies.