Cancer vaccines could be available by 2030, the couple behind one of the most successful Covid jabs has said
(Picture: Danny Lawson/PAPA Wire)Cancer-targeting vaccines could be here before the next decade, Covid vaccine experts have revealed.
Husband-and-wife team UÄur Åahin and Özlem Türeci, co-founders of BioNTech – the German firm that joined Pfizer to create one of the most successful Covid vaccines – have been putting their heads to a cancer vaccine.
There have been positive breakthroughs that have given rise to their optimism, the pair has said.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Professor Türeci said that the mRNA of the revolutionary Covid jab could be repurposed to find and attack cancer cells as opposed to virus cells.
Professor Åahin added that they could be ready for cancer patients before 2030.
The pair hope that it could be used in new treatments for melanoma, bowel cancer, and other types of tumours.
The mRNA technology works by sending genetic instructions to cells to boost the production of proteins and antigens. These proteins are then used as blueprints to indicate which cells to search and destroy.
This approach could also work for cancer cells, they said.
BioNTech is currently conducting trials, including personalised vaccinations.
Trials for the cancer vaccine began long before the pandemic, but took a backseat as they pivoted to developing Covid-19 vaccines in the face of the global crisis.
Early signs have been encouraging, but the pair is taking a cautious approach.
Professor Türeci said: “Every step, every patient we treat in our cancer trials helps us to find out more about what we are against and how to address that.
“As scientists, we are always hesitant to say we will have a cure for cancer. We have a number of breakthroughs and we will continue to work on them."
In August, Moderna said it was suing BioNTech and its partner, US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, for patent infringement over the company’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Asked about that, Prof Sahin said: “Our innovations are original. We have spent 20 years of research in developing this type of treatment and of course we will fight for our intellectual property.”
