Moderna, a well-known pharmaceutical company, recently predicted that by 2030, it will have developed new vaccines for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune diseases, The Guardian reports.
The company's chief medical officer, Dr. Paul Burton, believes these treatments could be developed in as little as five years. The company's novel approach will provide personalized cancer vaccines against multiple tumor types, providing hope to patients suffering from various diseases.
Studies Yielding Positive Results
Promising studies on mRNA therapies have already produced positive results, with the development of treatments for rare diseases for which no drugs are currently available.
The method entails identifying protein fragments on the surface of cancer cells not present in healthy cells and then creating mRNA fragments that instruct the body to produce them. The tumor is then biopsied, and its genetic material is sequenced to identify mutations not found in healthy cells.
The mRNA molecule instructs cells to produce proteins, and injecting a synthetic form allows cells to produce proteins that activate the immune system in the face of disease.
Moderna is also developing vaccines for multiple respiratory infections that could be administered with a single injection, protecting vulnerable people from COVID-19, the flu, and the respiratory syncytial virus.
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Cancer vaccines based on mRNA would allow the immune system to recognize cancerous cells growing in the patient's body and attack and destroy them without harming healthy cells.
Moderna's mRNA vaccines have shown significant success in recent trials. Its experimental mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus proved 83.7% effective in preventing at least two symptoms, such as cough and fever, in adults 60 and older.
The US Food and Drug Administration has granted the vaccine a breakthrough therapy designation, expediting its regulatory review.
Personalized Cancer Vaccine for Melanoma
Moderna's personalized cancer vaccine for melanoma has also received the same designation, demonstrating enormous promise in recent patient trials.
Pfizer is also conducting late-stage clinical trials of its mRNA-based influenza vaccine and plans to collaborate with BioNTech to develop vaccines for other infectious diseases, including shingles.
Meanwhile, in Moderna-Merck melanoma research, a combined mRNA vaccination reduced the likelihood of cancer returning after surgery or death by 44%.
A Call for Increased Funding
Despite the significant progress made in vaccine development over the last year, scientists warn that additional investment is required to ensure long-term progress.
Dr. Burton stated that mRNA technology has a wide range of applications that go beyond infectious diseases and COVID-19.
Moderna's research in these areas has shown great promise. He believes that within a decade, mRNA-based therapies will be able to identify the genetic cause of a disease, edit it out, and repair it using mRNA-based technology.
The development of new mRNA-based vaccines for cancer, cardiovascular, and autoimmune diseases is making tremendous progress, with many companies racing to bring their products to market by 2030.
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