A vaccine for treating cancer? More real than you think
'Promising early data'
'mRNA Cancer Treatment: Covid Vaccine Giant BioNTech Touts Promising Early Data', that's how Forbes magazine titled the news, released in mid-April, highlighting the importance of the mRNA-type of the vaccine in the process.
mRNA vaccine
The Center for Disease Control of the United States defines Messenger RNA vaccines as those that teach “our cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response inside our bodies”.
A how-to manual for our cells
Through a laboratory-designed molecule known as Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA), our bodies learn how to develop the right antibodies and other immune defenses against a specific disease. It worked against Covid-19 and, apparently, it's also working against cancer.
Cells that destroy cancer cells
The BioNTech treatment is focused on designing on genetically-engineered CAR T cells that have been amplified by the use of an mRNA vaccine. With this, our body is capable of fighting cancer cells alone, without the need for other treatments.
A small sample
The BioNTech results have provided lots of expectations. However, the trial is in an early stage, conducted with a sample of only 16 people. Out of them, five got “partial responses” and a sixth had no traces of cancer six months after.
It's only up from here
Can we really talk about success from such a small study sample? BioNTech thinks so. The treatment has worked in some cases, without any questions about it. The only left is improving how mRNA vaccines and CAR T cells “teach” our body to fight off cancer cells.
A starting point for many cures
Many laboratories are focusing on the development of mRNA-type of vaccines since it could be the key to dealing with diseases such as malaria or hepatitis.
China also fights cancer
BioNTech isn't the only one working on a vaccine against cancer. According to SkyNews, Chinese researchers have managed to get great results fighting melanoma in mice with the aid of an mRNA-type vaccine.
Hydrogel against tumors and metastasis
The team from the Chinese National Center for Nanoscience and Technology managed to develop a hydrogel that is shot under the skin and shrinks tumors and prevents them from metastasis.
The end of diseases?
Could this be the end of diseases as we know them? Well, that's still a pretty farfetched idea. Each different type of cancer, for instance, would need a very special, specific vaccine to deal with.
