Vaccine technologies in the fight against cancer

Recently mRNA vaccines have received particular attention based on their effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, mRNA vaccines have achieved some promising clinical responses in treating a variety of solid tumours. However, other vaccine technologies have been under investigation for some time in immuno-oncology, too, including cell-based vaccines, dendritic cell-based vaccines, peptide vaccines, viral particle derived vaccines and DNA vaccines.

Antigen targets for mRNA vaccines against cancer

Due to their crucial role in combating the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, mRNA vaccines are currently receiving a lot of attention and, so far, have been a great success for the companies developing them. Cancer research is another major application for mRNA vaccine technology. Immuno-oncology develops ways of directing the immune system to fight against cancer cells, thus expanding the possibilities of modern oncology.

mRNA vaccines – a new era in cancer treatment

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential – and real-world-impact – of mRNA-based vaccines attracted enormous public attention. November 9th 2020 marked a historic event, when BioNTech and Pfizer announced the success of Tozinameran (BNT162b2), the first ever mRNA vaccine, in a pivotal phase-III trial. Soon, it would become commonly known as the “Pfizer vaccine” or “BioNTech vaccine”.

Go to Top