BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, co-founders Professors Ozlem Tureci and Ugur Sahin have predicted that a cancer vaccine could be widely available within eight years.
Tureci believes that the development of a cancer vaccine is imminent. “Yes, we feel that a cure for cancer, or to changing cancer patients’ lives, is in our grasp,” said Professor Ozlem Tureci during an interview on BBC’s “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg”.
Cancer therapy vaccines are for those who already have cancer, as opposed to vaccinations that protect us from disease. Cancer patients will receive “personalized” and “individualized” vaccines to induce an immune response — the T-cells will detect and eliminate remaining tumor cells in the patient’s body.
Cancer is one of the top causes of mortality globally. “By 2040, the number of new cancer cases per year is expected to rise to 29.5 million and the number of cancer-related deaths to 16.4 million,” according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
BioNTech co-partnered with Pfizer to develop an effective messenger-RNA (mRNA) against COVID-19. When Kuenssberg asked if there was a chance that the vaccine wouldn’t work, Tureci responded that the immune system and the vaccine showed “clear activity”. The researchers could “induce those killer T-cells” and “direct them”.
By working with diet, lifestyle choices, and regular exercise or physical activity, many people can help prevent cancer from developing or recurring.
