The UK has established a partnership with BioNTech to offer up to 10,000 patients access to personalized cancer therapies, utilizing mRNA technology. This collaboration aims to accelerate the development and delivery of innovative cancer treatments, building on the success of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The partnership extends to 2030 and includes clinical trials and potential supply of approved commercial therapies, also covering some infectious disease targets.
BioNTech will gain access to the NHS infrastructure for conducting cancer vaccine studies, including access to genomics and health data resources. In return, BioNTech will establish an R&D center in Cambridge, employing over 70 scientists, and an office in London. This initiative may also lead to manufacturing investments in the UK if the partnership proves successful.
mRNA Cancer Therapies
BioNTech is focusing on mRNA-based cancer treatments, following the success of its COVID-19 vaccines developed in partnership with Pfizer. Key candidates like BNT111 for melanoma and BNT113 for head and neck cancer are already in phase 2 clinical trials. The mRNA sequences target multiple cancer antigens, stimulating a broad immune response against tumors. The therapy has the potential to be individualized based on a patient's cancer's molecular profile.
According to BioNTech, the first patient is expected to be enrolled in a clinical trial before the end of the year, focusing on studies in adjuvant or metastatic settings. These trials will assess the efficacy of personalized mRNA vaccines in preventing cancer recurrence and treating advanced-stage cancers.
Expert Commentary
Professor Uğur Şahin, BioNTech's co-founder and chief executive, stated, "The UK successfully delivered COVID-19 vaccines so quickly because the NHS, academia, the regulator, and the private sector worked together in an exemplary way. This agreement is a result of the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic as we all experience that drug development can be accelerated without cutting corners if everyone works seamlessly together towards the same goal."
Health Secretary Steve Barclay commented, "This partnership will mean that, from as early as September, our patients will be among the first to participate in trials and tests to provide targeted, personalised, and precision treatments using transformative new therapies to both treat the existing cancer and help stop it returning."
Additional Developments
BioNTech reported encouraging results from a study combining an mRNA vaccine with CAR-T cell therapy, potentially offering an effective approach for treating solid tumors. Currently, CAR-T cell therapies are primarily used for hematological cancers like lymphoma and leukemia.
