World Cancer Day, celebrated this year on February 04, is a timely reminder of medicine’s long and difficult battle with cancer. Fortunately, medicine is now getting help from an unlikely ally: Coronavirus vaccines.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines entered the public spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. They work by delivering a synthetic mRNA sequence into cells, instructing them to produce a harmless viral protein. The immune system then recognises this protein, triggering a protective immune response and generating antibodies without using live virus components.
Scientists are now looking at using mRNA as way to combat cancer. When put it into a vaccine, it could deliver instructions via mRNA for tumor-specific proteins to train the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.
This type of personalised treatment would have the potential for better results and fewer side effects than traditional cancer treatments, such as chemo or radiation. It could also help to boost immunotherapy effectiveness and/or prevent recurrence of the cancer.
How They Work
The way an mRNA vaccine could work for cancer would be different than those for the Coronavirus, which was administered widely to people through a series of injections.
For an mRNA vaccine to work, scientists would first analyse a patient’s tumor to find unique proteins (neoantigens) or common tumor proteins that signal cancer. The mRNA is then created to code for these specific cancer targets, which is delivered (often in lipid nanoparticles) to cells, which then produce target proteins to flag them for the immune system (T-cells) to attack.
This type of treatment is promising because it can trigger strong cellular and antibody responses. It is also generally less toxic than chemotherapy or radiation.
Positive First Steps
Over 120 clinical trials are underway for mRNA vaccines for various cancers, with some promising results in lung, melanoma, brain, and pancreatic cancers. Personalised mRNA vaccines for melanoma are in late-stage (Phase 3) trials, with availability possible in the next 2 to 3 years.
However, creating these vaccines has not been without challenges. One problem with mRNA is that it is fragile and needs an efficient delivery system. Precisely controlling the immune response is also complex.
However, if done right, a mRNA cancer vaccine has the potential to offer a revolutionary, personalised approach to harnessing the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. And it would do so by building on the success and technology of existing COVID-19 vaccines, which is said to be faster to design and manufacture compared to traditional vaccines.
The Role of Accreditation
Like for most scientific research, accreditation will play an important role in the creation of cancer vaccines. It ensures that laboratories and institutions adhere to rigorous, internationally recognised standards for quality and safety.
Accreditation provides assurance to the public and regulators that research data is reliable. It also minimises risks associated with developing new vaccines based on mRNA, particularly if it can have even broader applications.
Vaccines and vaccination services can also be accredited to ensures safety, quality, and competence. This is done by verifying that programs meet rigorous standards for training health professionals, managing quality systems, and protecting patients.
This acts as an external review, assuring governments and the public that best practices are followed to prevent harm and ensure effective immunisation delivery. This will not only help to build public trust for new vaccines, but more importantly, improve health outcomes to those who need it.