Quick moving COVID-19 vaccine developments using messenger RNA technology have paved the way for potential cancer treatment breakthroughs, Bloomberg reported Dec. 13.
The first messenger RNA drug approvals for cancer treatment could arrive within two to three years.
In fact, mRNA technology, used in Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTEch's COVID-19 vaccines, was first studied by Ugur Sahin, MD, BioNTech's CEO, in cancer nearly two decades ago. That existing knowledge is what enabled such quick COVID-19 vaccine development.
The modern vaccine technology essentially works by creating instructions for cells to make proteins that help fight off or prevent disease. Roche and BioNTech have partnered in hopes of developing personalized cancer vaccines.
"The door is opened up here," Dr. Severin Schwan, Roche CEO, told Bloomberg. "It's reconfirmed now via COVID-19 because this is real clinical data — that's a good reason to further invest."
BioNTech is harnessing mRNA technology in several approaches to cancer research, including a method where mRNA is coded to tell immune cells how to fight off tumor cells.
Companies also plan to use mRNA in hopes of developing future flu vaccines and a heart failure treatment, among many other diseases.