Sounds like science fiction, but it's not: by 2030 we could have vaccines to fight cancer and heart disease. Thanks to the boost given by the pandemic of Covid-19 vaccine research has made great strides, and the pharmaceutical company Modern she is certain that the results will be seen in a few years.
mRNA technology: the secret behind a loud revolution
The key to everything is mRNA technology, which has made it possible to develop the Covid vaccine in record time. This technology teaches cells how to produce a protein that stimulates our body's immune response against disease. Dr. Paul Burton, medical director of Moderna, is convinced that mRNA vaccines will be able to be used to treat “all types of pathologies” very soon.
As long as they do it with certain safety profiles, I add. Cancer and heart disease claim more victims than Covid every year, but I would not authorize "record times" and "emergency procedures" because the risks of adverse effects must be weighed carefully, and even a very subtle problem can result in thousands of deaths.
Cancer vaccines: the current situation
Moderna has been working for a while on cancer vaccines that target different types of tumors. The principle is simple: the vaccine teaches the immune system to recognize and attack tumor cells, without damaging healthy ones. To do this, proteins present only on the surface of tumor cells are identified and instructions are created in mRNA to teach the body how to produce them. In this way, the immune system learns to recognize and fight the tumor.
With this modus agendi, mRNA technology could also revolutionize the treatment of other diseases. For example, the same Modern is already testing a very promising vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Pfizer, another pharmaceutical giant, is also experimenting with an mRNA vaccine against the flu and aims to extend it to other infectious diseases, such as herpes zoster.
Fewer weapons, more research
Pandemics are a threat equal to, if not greater than, military ones, but investments in the health field "in times of truce" are still insufficient compared to those intended for defense.
If we want to give a decisive blow to some of the major causes of death, says Prof. Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, it is necessary to concentrate investments here. Not about weapons.
If we do, we could be witnessing a real revolution in medicine. Personalized cancer vaccines, therapies for rare diseases and prevention of many other diseases could become reality by the end of the decade.
A scenario that would save millions of lives and radically change the way we deal with disease.
