by Ugur Sahina and Özlem Türeci co-founded BioNTech, whose mRNA vaccine is one of the most successful Covid-19 vaccines. they are on the BBC interviewtime for the next few yearscancer vaccineIPO optimistic. When asked when mRNA-based cancer vaccines could be available for patients, Sahin express, they may be available “before 2030”. The mRNA Covid-19 vaccine works by delivering the genetic instructions for the harmless spike protein on the coronavirus into the body. These genetic instructions are picked up by cells that churn out spike proteins, which then tell the immune system’s antibodies and other defenses what to search for and attack. Türeci thinks the same approach could be used to get the immune system to seek out and destroy cancer cells. BioNTech had been working on mRNA cancer vaccines before the COVID-19 outbreak. But after the global spread of the epidemic, the company turned to developing a new crown vaccine. BioNTech now has several cancer vaccines in clinical trials. BioNTech hopes to develop treatments for bowel cancer, melanoma and other cancer types, but it still faces significant hurdles. Because the cancer cells that make up a tumor can contain many different proteins, it is extremely difficult to create a vaccine that targets all cancer cells but not healthy tissue.
