The breakthroughs in mRNA technology, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, are transforming cancer research. Oncologist Lennard Lee discusses how prior to COVID, cancer vaccines were largely unsuccessful. Now, with the infrastructure established during the pandemic, researchers are able to design personalized cancer vaccines by sequencing patient biopsies. The same logistics used for mRNA COVID vaccines can easily transition to cancer treatment, creating unique vaccines specifically tailored for individual patients, marking a significant step forward in the fight against cancer.
With the pandemic, however, we proved that mRNA vaccines were possible. Pretty much every clinical trial had failed; cancer vaccines weren't a proper field of research.
Going from mRNA Covid vaccines to mRNA cancer vaccines is straightforward; same fridges, same protocol, same drug, just a different patient.
In the current trials, we do a biopsy of the patient, sequence the tissue, send it to the pharmaceutical company, and they design a personalized vaccine.
That vaccine is not suitable for anyone else; it’s like science fiction.
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