Man Creates World-First Personalized Cancer Vaccine for His Beloved Dog — Tumors Shrink by 75%
When Australian Paul Conyngham’s dog Rosie was diagnosed with incurable cancer a few months ago, he refused to give up on his “best mate.”
Rosie, an eight-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier cross, had advanced, terminal mast cell cancer. After conventional chemotherapy and surgery failed, she was exhausted, unwell, and given only months to live.
But Paul, a tech entrepreneur and data scientist with no background in biology, decided he wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
He sent a tissue sample of Rosie’s tumor for analysis and paid roughly $3,000 to sequence her tumor DNA at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Using AI tools—including ChatGPT and Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold—he identified tumor-specific markers and developed a formula for a personalized vaccine tailored to Rosie.
— Paul S. Conyngham (@paul_conyngham) March 14, 2026
Next, he approached Páll Thordarson, director of the UNSW RNA Institute. Thordarson and his team agreed to manufacture the vaccine based on Paul’s AI-generated recipe. In less than two months, Rosie received what is believed to be the world’s first fully personalized mRNA cancer vaccine designed by a non-scientist.
The results were astonishing. After beginning injections in late 2025 and early 2026, Rosie started responding within a month. Tumors shrank by approximately 75%, and she regained her energy and mobility.
“Recently, I took her to the dog park where she’s got a lot of dog friends, and she was chasing and running around, sprinting and barking at people walking by. A rabbit appeared on the other side of the fence. She ran, jumped over the fence, and chased it,” Paul said. Just a few months earlier, those same tumors had covered her legs, keeping her from even walking comfortably.
Although the vaccine isn’t a cure, it has given Rosie precious time—and a renewed quality of life. “I think it’s added considerable lifespan and healthspan to Rosie,” Paul said. He and the UNSW team are now working on booster shots to tackle resistance mutations in her remaining tumors.
Rosie’s story is a powerful example of how AI and mRNA vaccines could transform cancer treatment for both animals and humans. And it’s a reminder that love, determination, and a little scientific ingenuity can create miracles—even when hope seems lost.