According to Uur Ahin and Zlem Türeci, the mRNA Covid vaccination
technology may be used to help eradicate cancer cells.
According to the husband and wife duo behind one of the most popular Covid
vaccinations of the pandemic, cancer-specific vaccines may be accessible by
the end of the decade.
The German company BioNTech, established by Uur Ahin and Zlem Türeci,
collaborated with Pfizer to produce the ground-breaking mRNA Covid vaccine.
They claimed to have achieved advancements that have increased their hope
for the development of cancer vaccines in the next years.
Prof. Türeci explained how the mRNA technology at the core of BioNTech's
Covid vaccine might be repurposed such that it primed the immune system to
fight cancer cells instead of invading coronaviruses in an interview with
the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
When asked if cancer vaccines based on mRNA may be accessible "before
2030," Prof. Sahin said that they might be.
The genetic code for the Covid virus's largely innocuous spike proteins is
transported into the body by an mRNA Covid vaccination. Cells take up the
instructions and produce the spike protein. The immune system's antibodies
and other defenses are subsequently given instructions by these proteins,
known as antigens, on what to look for and fight.
According to Türeci, chief medical officer of BioNTech, the immune system
may be stimulated in the same way to look for and eliminate cancer cells.
The vaccine contains genetic instructions for cancer antigens, which are
proteins that cover the surfaces of tumor cells, rather than information
that detects viruses.
Prior to the pandemic, BioNTech was developing mRNA cancer vaccines;
however, in response to the global emergency, the company switched to
producing Covid vaccinations. The business is currently testing a number of
cancer vaccinations. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which is comparable to the
Moderna Covid injection, was developed and is successful, according to
Türeci, and "gives back to our cancer effort."
There are significant obstacles in the way of the German company's efforts
to create therapies for melanoma, bowel cancer, and other cancer types.
Making a vaccination that targets only the cancer cells and leaves healthy
tissues unaffected is particularly challenging since the cancer cells that
make up tumours can be laced with a wide range of various proteins.
In addition to learning how to produce mRNA vaccines more quickly during
the pandemic, Türeci informed Kuenssberg, BioNTech also gained a better
understanding of how people's immune systems reacted to mRNA. The Covid
shot's intensive research and quick deployment had also aided medical
regulators in figuring out how to authorize the vaccinations. This will
undoubtedly speed up the development of our cancer vaccine, she
continued.
Türeci, however, remained wary about the project. As scientists, we're
always cautious to predict that cancer will be cured, she added. "We've made
a lot of progress, and we'll keep working on it,"
Moderna said in August that it was suing BioNTech and its business partner,
US pharmaceutical behemoth Pfizer, for violating the company's Covid-19
vaccine patent.
When questioned about it, Sahin responded, "Our innovations are unique. We
developed this form of medicine after 20 years of research, and we will
fight to protect our intellectual property.
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