Can mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines be used to cure cancer?

One of the scientists behind the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine – the first approved vaccine for the new coronavirus – claims that the technology used by the companies could be used to treat another deadly disease – cancer. man in the late 2000s. For years, BioNTech has been developing a way to fight cancer and eradicate tumors – technology that has threatened to defeat the new coronavirus. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, called BNT162b2, is based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which uses a chemical agent. messenger to instruct cells to make proteins that mimic the outer surface of the new coronavirus and thus create immunity. mRNA is dependent on synthetic genes that can be generated and manufactured within weeks and can be produced on a faster scale than conventional vaccines. The new technology is the first to be approved for a COVID-19 vaccine; Pfizer and BioNTech have already collaborated to develop flu vaccines based on the mRNA technology they incorporated into BNT162b2. The population of Israel relies heavily on the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and has administered at least one dose of COVID-19 mRNA to more than 5 million. Israeli citizens. Tens of millions of other doses have been administered around the world. “It is worth making brave decisions and trusting that if you have an exceptional team, you will be able to solve any problem and obstacle that comes your way,” Tureci told The Associated Press said.

Although there was a clear atmosphere of vaccination – the reluctance or refusal to be vaccinated – amidst world populations, Teluci remarked to AP that “no corners were cut” and that the stone was left untouched as he rushed to ‘ to develop a vaccine. rigid process is in place and the process does not stop after a vaccine has been approved, ”Teluci told AP. “It’s actually going on all over the world right now, where regulators have used reporting systems to investigate and evaluate the observations made with us or other vaccines.” As Teluci noted, the success of COVID-19 vaccines is based on mRNA. is the way to use the new technology not only in other vaccines, but possibly also as a treatment for cystic fibrosis, cancer and other difficult-to-treat diseases. Both of the vaccines used by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna rely on mRNA technology. says mRNA has the potential to target diseases that cannot be achieved by conventional drugs. The technology is often compared to the operating system on a computer, which enables drug manufacturers to change their target by inserting new genetic code into a manufactured form of mRNA, a natural chemical. messenger that instructs the body to produce specific proteins. The advantage in vaccines is versatility and speed compared to standard technology that requires long delivery times to produce and purify proteins and purification. Roots Analysis has developed more than 150 mRNA vaccines and therapies worldwide. Most are still undergoing early animal testing, but more than 30 have passed human tests. MRNA can be very difficult to work with, which can make future successes with treatments uncertain. Modern, for example, is working on treatments for heart disease, cancer and rare diseases. The most advanced non-COVID program is a cytomegalovirus vaccine, the leading cause of birth defects in the United States. Drew Weissman, professor of infectious diseases at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, is one of two scientists attributed to a groundbreaking discovery in 2005 of how to alter the molecular structure of mRNA to make it stable enough. keep getting past the body’s defenses. In the past nine months, Weissman has said that 20 companies working in the field of mRNA have asked him to join their boards, and the number of laboratories asking to collaborate with Penn on mRNA work has almost tripled.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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