Cancer vaccines hope for the future

Cancer vax breakthrough - 15th May 2023

A prominent pharmaceutical firm has reported that life-saving cancer vaccines could be developed and available by the end of the decade. Given the breakthroughs made in Covid-19 vaccine development, the research for cancer vaccines has been accelerated. According to experts, research into vaccines during the pandemic has "unspooled" 15 years of progress in just 18 months.

Unlike traditional vaccines, Covid-19 vaccines are based on an mRNA protocol. They don't expose the body to the virus, but instead prompt it to produce a unique protein that stimulates the production of specialised antibodies. Working on the cancer vaccine is Dr Paul Burton, the chief medical officer for Moderna, one of the leading producers of the Covid-19 vaccine. He announced, "We will have that vaccine and it will be highly effective, and it will save many hundreds of thousands, if not millions of lives. I think we will be able to offer personalised cancer vaccines against multiple different tumour types to people around the world."

By using a patient's DNA through a biopsy of their tumour, vaccines for cancer treatment can be personalised. Having sequenced the biopsy, cancerous mutations within the DNA can be detected with the use of algorithms. An mRNA molecule with instructions for the cell to generate antigens is then created, triggering an immune response. Patients are then injected with the mRNA vaccine and their body transforms it into proteins identical to those found in the cancer cells. This results in the immune system being able to detect and destroy the cancer cells that resemble the proteins.

Convinced that mRNA therapies could also lead to further development for rare diseases previously considered "undruggable", Burton predicts that breakthroughs in medical research will lead to a single injection which grants patients immunity to several respiratory infections, including Covid-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus.

Nevertheless, experts cautioned that economic concerns or international conflicts could see a decrease in funding, which puts the future of medical breakthroughs under threat.