Could There Be a Cancer Vaccine By 2030?
posted by Jacqueline Leibman | October 24, 2022 | In NewsOn October 19, SkyNews published an article stating that the company BioNTech is working on a vaccine capable of destroying cancer cells. The German biotechnology company should be familiar to U.S. audiences for its contribution to the COVID-19 vaccine, as they were part of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine duo.
Husband and wife duo, Dr. Ugur Sahin and Dr. Ozlem Tureci, are co-founders of BioNTech. They are also physicians who specialize in immunotherapy and cancer immunotherapy research.
Similar to the COVID-19 vaccine makeup, they are investigating the possibility of using mRNA injections to force the body to produce antigens and strengthen the immune systems against the specific disease. In previous vaccines, by using mRNA, they can tailor the vaccine using the virus’s genetic code.
Dr. Tureci told SkyNews: “We have learned how to create better, faster manufacture vaccines. We have learned, in a large number of people, how the immune system reacts towards mRNA.”
What was the tailwind for developing the COVID-19 vaccine, is now the driving factor for the research and development of the cancer vaccine. The possibility of a vaccine to treat cancer could be available within the next decade.
According to the CDC, there are currently two “cancer vaccines” available: the human papillomavirus vaccine and the hepatitis B vaccine.
HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer is females. The HPV vaccine prevents new HPV infections but does not treat existing infections or diseases. Hepatitus B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus. Chronic, or long-term, HBV infections can lead to liver disease or liver cancer.
While neither vaccine treats the cancer specifically, they reduce the risk of infections that can lead to such diseases. That is why it is important to have routine STI tests as well as cervical cancer screenings.
Photo courtesy of SELF Magazine
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.