Title: Revolutionizing Cancer Therapy with Personalized Vaccines
Alexander Zehnder, now in charge of Germany's promising biotech start-up Curevac, is determined to steer the company towards profitability. Despite initial setbacks with the coronavirus vaccine, Curevac is now focusing on developing a dual vaccine for influenza and coronavirus and revolutionizing cancer therapy. With a primary focus on cancer, Curevac aims to bring a cancer vaccine to the market by 2028.
The Principles of Cancer Vaccines
Cancer vaccines function similarly to traditional vaccines. They teach the immune system to identify cancer cells and combat them effectively. Zehnder envisions future applications for mRNA drugs, including drug replacement for traditional allergy desensitization treatments.
Preventative vs. Therapeutic Vaccines
Curevac is developing preventative and therapeutic vaccines. Preventative vaccines, targeting high-risk individuals with a family history of cancer, could indeed protect against specific types of cancer. Therapeutic vaccines, meanwhile, can be applied when someone has already been diagnosed with the disease.
Overcoming Chemotherapy Limitations
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy often harm healthy cells along with the cancer, causing undesirable side effects. While Curevac is investigating the use of mRNA treatments to replace or complement these traditional therapies, the immune-stimulating nature of these treatments could potentially minimize side effects while effectively attacking the cancer.
Containing the Growth of Cancer
The ultimate goal of cancer vaccines is to halt cancer growth, even in instances where the cancer has metastasized. This would transform cancer from a life-threatening condition into a manageable chronic disease.
Personalized Cancer Treatments
Curevac, alongside Moderna and BioNTech, is pioneering personalized cancer treatments. Utilizing large drug printers and patient information, they aim to create tailored vaccines that can effectively combat the unique characteristics of individuals' cancer cells.
The Science of Cancer Vaccines
Cancer vaccines work by identifying and utilizing neoantigens, unique proteins that appear on cancer cells due to their genetic mutations. By teaching the immune system to identify these neoantigens, the body can then effectively target and eliminate cancer cells.
Once the tumor tissue is analyzed and the neoantigens are identified, the vaccine is created and administered in a series of doses. As the immune system learns to recognize and combat cancer cells, it develops a durable and long-lasting response to the cancer.
The Future of Cancer Therapy
The rapid advancements in cancer vaccine research, combined with the experience gained during the ongoing pandemic and the power of artificial intelligence, facilitate a promising breakthrough in cancer therapy. The potential for personalized cancer vaccines to revolutionize cancer treatment is a significant step towards turning cancer into a manageable, chronic condition rather than a death sentence.
(Source: www.bild.de)
