Moderna says cancer & CVD vaccine possibly ready before end of decade
3 Min Read
Pharmaceutical company Moderna says research that was supposed to take about 15 years to complete was completed in about 12 to 18 months due to the success of the covid-19 vaccine.
-
Moderna logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. (Reuters)
The chief medical officer of Moderna, Dr. Paul Burton, says that he believes it is possible that a vaccine for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and "all sorts of disease areas" could be offered by the pharmaceutical company in as little as five years.
It is notable that the pioneering collection of new vaccinations might save millions of lives as early as 2030, according to The Guardian.
Burton explained that Moderna “will have that vaccine and it will be highly effective, and it will save many hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives." The medical chief further added that the company could offer "personalized cancer vaccines against multiple different tumor types to people around the world.”
According to The Guardian, recent mRNA-based vaccinations showed “tremendous promise”. Some researchers have even argued that due to the success of the Covid-19 vaccine, some 15 years' worth of research has been "unspoiled" in about 12 to 18 months.
It is worth noting that the mechanism through which mRNA-based therapies function is by instructing cells to produce a protein that starts the body's immunological response to sickness.
New vaccine formula allows targeting and killing cancer cells: Study
Scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois claim that their newly-developed technology could inject a “powerful weapon with which to kill cancer” into a vaccine making it able to eventually kill cancer. By altering the formula, the vaccine doubled the number of T-cells which are a form of white blood cell, which targets tumors.
For their trials, the team at Northwestern University's International Institute for Nanotechnology concentrated on different types of cancer and used the same vaccine formula, but the one variable was a different protein that “clips” on.
Vaccines consist of an antigen and an adjuvant, which is a substance meant to boost strength and effectivity, which conventional vaccine formulas allow to blend together. However, the team fixated on the fact that the components alone should have their importance as well.
Thus, the locations of the adjuvant and antigen were switched-up using chemistry and nanotechnology, which aided the immune system in locating and targeting tumor cells. In turn, the T cells were doubled in number, making it more feasible to attack cancer, and releasing 30% more of the same cells.
'Ready before 2030'
Numerous cancer studies and trials have made small breakthroughs throughout the past year.
Back in October, Ugur Sahin and Olem Türeci, the co-founders of BioNTech, the German company that collaborated with Pfizer to develop the mRNA Covid vaccine, said they had made breakthroughs that fueled their optimism for cancer vaccines in the coming years.
Professor Türeci described how the mRNA technology at the heart of BioNTech's Covid vaccine could be repurposed to prime the immune system to attack cancer cells rather than invading coronaviruses. Rather than carrying a virus identification code, the vaccine contains genetic instructions for cancer antigens, which are proteins found on the surfaces of tumor cells.
When asked when cancer vaccines based on mRNA might be ready for use in patients, Professor Sahin said "before 2030."
Read more: CAR T Cell Therapy reaches beyond cancer
