A messenger RNA vaccine made by the company BioNTech, which also contributed to the conception successful anti-COVID vaccine in collaboration with Pfizer, could soon be used to treat the most aggressive form of skin cancer – melanoma.
The company is currently testing this messenger RNA vaccine called BNT111 in the Phase 2 clinical trial. It involves 120 patients with melanoma in stages 3 and 4, from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Spain and Italy.
How a messenger RNA vaccine works against melanoma
The BNT111 vaccine is used messenger RNA technology to obtain a strong immune response against four antigens found in 90% of melanoma cases, namely NY-ESO-1, MAGE-A3, tyrosinase and TPTE.
The vaccine has a therapeutic purpose, so to cure melanoma, not a prophylactic one, to prevent this form of skin cancer.
Our vision is to harness the power of the immune system against cancer and infectious diseases. We were able to demonstrate the potential of messenger RNA vaccines in preventing severe forms of COVID-19. We must not forget that cancer is also a global health threat, even more serious than the current pandemic, said Özlem Türeci, co-founder of BioNTech.
The melanoma vaccine produced by BioNTech must be given in parallel with another monoclonal antibody medicine (cemiplimab), developed by Regeneron in collaboration with Sanofi.
The study will look at the effectiveness, tolerability and safety of this combination of messenger RNA vaccine and the specific drug.
Source: clinicaltrialsarena.com
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