American Moderna. Provided by EPA/Yonhap News
Moderna, an American biotechnology company that developed a vaccine for the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19, Corona 19), announced on the 7th (local time) that it can provide a vaccine against all diseases, including cancer.
Paul Burton, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), told the British Daily Guardian that day, “We will be able to provide vaccines for all types of diseases within five years at the earliest.” We are confident it will be ready by 2030.”
“We are going to have a vaccine that is very effective,” Burton added.
The vaccines that CMO Burton is talking about are based on ‘messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)’ technology which was the basis for the development of the Corona 19 vaccine. mRNA carries DNA information to make specific proteins in the body. Instead of diluting the toxicity of a live virus and introducing it into the body, the genetic information of the virus is transferred using mRNA. The body’s immune cells then work by creating antibodies to counteract it.
Moderna is developing cancer vaccines that target a variety of tumor types. In December last year, it revealed the clinical results of a cancer vaccine being developed. Patients who used this vaccine in combination with Merck’s immune anti-cancer drug Keytruda had 44% fewer skin cancer recurrences or deaths than those who used it alone. In addition, vaccines against RSV, influenza, human papillomavirus (HIV), and shingles are being developed.
“MRNA-based therapies will be developed for previously incurable rare diseases,” said Chief Medical Officer Burton.
In addition to Moderna, other pharmaceutical companies are also keen on mRNA-based vaccine research. US Pfizer has begun recruiting for late-stage clinical trials of its mRNA-based flu vaccine.
However, there is also a skeptical view on the possibility of the development’s success. In the case of cancer vaccines, the target is often patients with advanced cancer, and these patients have tumors removed surgically or are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy, so the immune system is tired clean significantly, so the vaccine may not be effective.
