Scientists attribute some types of cancer to viruses. That's why they are also testing the mRNA cancer vaccine. The mRNA vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna was used for the first time to protect against corona. However, mRNA technology was being developed for many years. One of the diseases it was being tested for was cancer. Let's know about it…
Dr. John Cook, a specialist at Houston Methodist Hospital in the US, says that mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) is the way the immune system develops to recognize cancer. An expert at the University of British Columbia, Anna Blakeney says that the mRNA vaccine identifies proteins present on cancer cells. It also enables the immune system to compete with it.
According to American expert Dr. Cook, this vaccine can be effective in cases of cancer like melanoma. mRNA technology can detect normal changes in melanoma cancer patients. BioNTech has adopted this approach. It has identified four specific antigens associated with cancer. More than 90% of melanoma patients have at least one of these antigens.
A physician-scientist at the Dena-Farber Cancer Institute in Harvard, David Brown says that every cancer patient has different changes. There are very few changes that are common in all cancer patients. The virus attacks the immune system of each patient differently. Even if all these patients have the same type of cancer. Therefore, vaccines will have to be made according to the condition of different patients.
Dr. Cook says that it is possible to detect different changes in the same type of cancer patients. For this, the DNA and RNA of the patient's tumour are examined. These are then compared with normal cells. By doing this the difference of change can be detected.
A group of cancer biologists at Houston Methodist Hospital is developing a vaccine for people at high risk of developing cancer. These include people with BRCA2 mutations. Such people are at a higher risk of getting breast cancer. Similarly, work on a cancer vaccine is also going on at Harvard's Dena-Farber Cancer Institute. It is being told that the mRNA therapy of Moderna was finalized in about 48 hours. Along with this, more than 150 new mRNA vaccines and treatments are being developed in the world.
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