Recent studies have shown that vaccine technology used for Covid-19 has been effective in halting the growth of cancerous tumours in mice.
In collaboration with EARA member, Sanofi, the Covid vaccine developer, BioNTech, Germany, has created a cocktail of messenger RNA (mRNA) - genetic material that instruct cells to produce molecules to fight colon and skin cancer.
The findings, in Science Translational Medicine, showed that in mice injected with the mRNA cocktail, the treatment halted tumour growth, and even caused them to shrink.
The therapy - called SAR441000 (BNT131) - is now in human clinical trials.
This mRNA technology can be administered directly into the tumour in order to alter the environment around it, and enhance the immune system’s ability to recognise and fight cancer.