A major advance in the fight against cancer ! Promising clinical trials are underway for BNT116, a messenger RNA vaccine (mRNA). The latter is designed to treat non-small cell lung cancerwhich represents between 80 and 85% of cases. Developed by the BioNTech laboratory, it is tested in several countries, notably in the United States and Europe.
Despite its name, this vaccine is not designed to prevent lung cancer, but rather to treat illness in patients who suffer from it, at a early or advanced stage. It would also be effective for people who suffer from recurrent lung cancers.
A vaccine that uses mRNA technology
Inspired by COVID-19 vaccines, the mRNA technology used in BNT116 trains the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. It introduces strands of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) into the body, prompting cells to produce six proteins specific present on cancer cells. These serve as markers, guiding the immune system to attack diseased cells while preserving healthy tissues.
Eric Singhi, an oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, spoke about this in the medical journal WebMD. According to him, unlike chemotherapy, which is often toxic and has significant side effects, this approach offers an answer more precise and personalized. This new versatile technology could also be extended to other types of cancer s, marking a potential turning point in the oncology research. Its “ready-to-use” design, which targets antigens common to several tumors, makes it more accessible.
However, this limits its effectiveness to cancers expressing these antigens. Other tests must therefore still be carried out, to establish with more precision the dosage and thevaccine effectiveness. In addition, side effects such as fever, fatigue and nausea, or even pneumonia, have been reported.
A treatment model already studied
This is not the first time that a vaccine has been developed to fight lung cancer. In 2023, a Nantes company called OSE Immunotherapeutics had developed the vaccin Tedop i. With a process similar to BNT116, the latter had more of a therapeutic aim than a preventive one.
During a clinical trial, it showed promising results, making it possible to reduce by 44% the number of deaths of patients with the disease while improving their quality of life. Currently, this vaccine is being evaluated in a confirmatory Phase 3 clinical trial.
Lung cancer, very deadly
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with 1.8 million deaths per year. Often detected late, the chances of survival at advanced stages are even lower. In France, where cancers are the leading cause of deathand lung cancer is also the deadliest, ahead of colorectal, breast and prostate cancers.
The proven causes of the development of lung cancer are smoking in all its forms (in more than four out of five cases), the air pollutionbut also exposure to chemicals in certain specific professions. Too little consumption of fruits and vegetables is also recognized as a risk factor. Finally, some cancers are genetic.
