What are cancer 'vaccines' and will they revolutionise treatment?

What are cancer 'vaccines' and will they revolutionise treatment?

Author: The Hindu September 5, 2026 Duration: 32:46
There’s been a lot of excitement in the cancer research field recently. Preliminary results from a trial with patients who had melanoma or skin cancer, showed that a ‘cancer vaccine’ had been successful in reducing the recurrence of melanoma tumours. This vaccine, called instamaren autogene, is based on mRNA technology – the same tech that was used to manufacture Covid vaccines during the pandemic. A number of other trials across the world are also looking into how mRNA vaccines can help prevent the recurrence of certain hard-to-treat cancers. So what are these new therapies and what cancer do they treat? Why are they called vaccines when they don’t actually prevent cancer? How does mRNA tech work and how is AI helpful in this? Will these personalised treatments be available in India any time soon and how expensive will they be? Guest: Dr. Narayana Subramaniam, Lead Consultant, Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology, Aster Hospitals, and Adjunct Faculty at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Each week, the journalists at In Focus by The Hindu select one pressing story from the news cycle and slow it down. Rather than a rapid headline, you’ll hear a thoughtful conversation that unpacks the layers behind an event-the historical precedents, the economic forces, the political nuances, and the human impact. This podcast relies on conversations with reporters who have been on the ground and specialists who have spent years, sometimes decades, studying a particular issue. The result is a clearer, more substantive understanding of what’s happening in India and around the world. You might explore the roots of a regional conflict one episode, and dive into the complexities of a new environmental policy the next. It’s designed for anyone who feels that the daily news skim leaves too many questions unanswered. Tune in for a consistent, deep-dive format that prioritizes context over instant reaction, making sense of the week’s most significant developments through careful analysis and expert insight.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

In Focus by The Hindu
Podcast Episodes
In Focus-Parley | Is English a foreign language in India? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:03
The Supreme Court has been discussing linguistics this month, while hearing challenges to the CBSE’s three-language formula, which mandates that two of the three must be native Indian languages, a category that does not…
Can you get dementia from long-term exposure to traffic noise? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:07
Road traffic noise is a major environmental pollutant. Indian cities are cacophonous. They are not designed to insulate residents from sustained exposure to traffic noise. A new research paper has found a worrying link b…
How water stressed are Indian cities? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:12
This year, residents in several Indian cities -from Mumbai to Bengaluru - have experienced a shortage in water supply. India's big cities are expanding in terms of size and population. This has also meant a strain on exi…
Do metro cities have space for pedestrians? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:19
What does it say about our cities when the Supreme Court has to remind governments that people have a fundamental right to walk? The Court’s recent judgment on footpaths has put a very basic question back on the table -…
Why are tribal students still dropping out of school in Kerala? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:19
Kerala is known for its high literacy rate and strong public education system. Yet, several tribal communities in the State continue to face barriers in accessing and completing education. According to the 2011 Census, t…