Alex Green is clear – without immunotherapy, he would have died in 2019.

His advanced melanoma skin cancer was stopped only by a revolutionary treatment that recruits the body’s own immune system to fight the disease.

But unfortunately at this time most people suffering from cancer do not see any benefit from immunotherapy.

Many people relapse or experience significant side effects, which can include painful inflammation in the gut, skin, or lungs.

So now a new multimillion-pound research program aims to find out why at least half of all patients fail to respond to immunotherapy or suffer those debilitating side effects.

Alex, now 42, was initially diagnosed with melanoma in 2012.

He was treated with surgery, but three years later the disease spread to his lymph nodes.

Alex underwent several operations to remove the tumor, followed by surgery followed by radiotherapy and then later a course of immunotherapy.

“I completed radiotherapy and my scans were clear, although within two years my cancer returned,” he said.

“I was offered immunotherapy and it completely saved my life.

“Without it was expected that I would die in 2019, leaving behind my wife and two children, aged four and seven.

“This was a life-changing treatment for me and I am now in my eighth year of complete remission and am able to lead a normal and active life.”

But Surrey-based lawyer Alex warns the treatment is not straightforward.

“Although the results of the treatment have been amazing, it came with some difficult challenges,” he said.

“I suffered some significant side effects, which resulted in me being hospitalized for two weeks.

“I am very clear on the importance of researching and understanding the side effects of immunotherapy to make the treatment as effective and compassionate as possible.”

The research project involves 16 academic institutions and NHS trusts and health boards from across the UK, working with 12 bioscience and technology companies.

one of the issues Researchers will look at the lack of testable and usable biomarkers, which are small molecules that can tell doctors whether someone is likely to benefit from a given drug.

Identifying these biomarkers could help in two ways – both selecting patients who are most likely to benefit, but also potentially opening up new treatments such as vaccines and cell therapies.

The project will include 3,000 patients who have already completed their treatment and then another 3,000 patients who are starting treatment for breast, bladder, kidney and skin cancer across the UK.

Other forms of cancer may be added as research progresses.

Professor Samra Turajlik, a cancer specialist at the Royal Marsden Hospital, will lead the project Francis Crick Institute in London.

Professor Turajlic says that in recent years there has been huge progress in the treatment of cancer with the use of immunotherapy.

“We are still unable to serve many patients due to treatment failure and side effects,” he said.

“We have a unique opportunity in the UK, particularly given the NHS, to tackle this challenge.

“Research on this scale can bring us one step closer to better trials in the clinic, but can also lead to further discoveries regarding cancer immunology and new treatments.

“Ultimately, we want to accelerate the delivery of personalized medicine for a disease that affects a large number of people across the UK each year.”