The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has yielded an unexpected advancement in the pharmaceutical industry with the approval of the first mRNA vaccines, which GlobalData expects will soon impact other indications.
This historical landmark could have significant implications, primarily in the oncology market since mRNA vaccines were being exclusively investigated in infectious and oncology diseases prior to the pandemic. Historically, mRNA vaccines were of interest in the oncology setting because multiple biomarkers could be targeted by this novel mechanism.
Given the current role of immunotherapies in oncology, mRNA vaccines pose a novel approach to trigger immune reactions against cancer cells. However, the novelty of mRNA vaccines has raised regulatory and manufacturing questions in addition to clinical limitations.
Covid-19 approvals showcase potential of mRNA vaccines
The recent approvals of Pfizer / BioNTech’s and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines in healthy patients, complemented by the historically unmatched magnitude to reach healthy patients worldwide, has helped surpass many barriers for mRNA vaccines while highlighting this novel mechanism of action. GlobalData expects this will propagate a new epicenter of interest in pursuing this drug class in oncology.
Currently, there are 44 ongoing clinical trials exploring mRNA vaccines, of which 23 are investigating infectious diseases. This includes Covid-19, which accounts for 60% of those clinical trials. Interestingly, only four out of the 44 clinical trials have made it to Phase III as a result of the sudden and immense demand to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
From an oncology viewpoint, the current pandemic will still serve to provide essential real-world data about the tolerability and effects of mRNA vaccines, since despite their approval and initial vaccination rollout, the long-term efficacy and side effects are still to be understood. As more data are gathered on these vaccines, GlobalData expects an increasing interest in bringing them into the oncology sector.
Key opinion leaders (KOLs) interviewed by GlobalData have repeatedly shown interest in novel mechanisms of action, particularly in immunotherapy. Prior to the pandemic, mRNA vaccines were one of many promising drug classes that were being explored equally with each other, with no expectation about which would be the next to impact the market. However, the sudden rise of mRNA vaccines makes it a prime candidate since there is a current spotlight on this drug class.
A supporting argument for the interest in mRNA vaccines is that out of the 21 ongoing non-infectious disease clinical trials that are exploring mRNA vaccines, all are being developed for oncology indications. Of these 21 trials, only seven are in Phase II, which demonstrates the relatively early stage of mRNA vaccines in oncology. Interestingly, the most represented company in these clinical trials is BioNTech, with seven of the 21 trials, followed by Roche/Genentech with three clinical trials and Moderna Inc with two clinical trials.
Image Credit: Shutterstock
Post by Amanda Scott, NA CEO. Follow her on twitter @tantriclens
Thanks to Heinz V. Hoenen. Follow him on twitter: @HeinzVHoenen
News
DREAM complex could hold key to fighting cancer and living longer
DNA may be the stuff of life, but if it isn't repaired in our bodies on a regular basis, it can lead to diseases that can cause some pretty unpleasant types of death. DNA [...]
A Promising New Pathway in the Battle Against Aggressive Prostate Cancer
Neuronal Molecule Makes Prostate Cancer More Aggressive Researchers discover a potential therapeutic avenue against an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of [...]
Nasal Vaccines: Stopping the COVID-19 Virus Before It Reaches the Lungs
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines have played a large role in preventing deaths and severe infections from COVID-19. But researchers are still in the process of developing alternative approaches to vaccines to improve [...]
NASA Tracking a Huge, Growing Anomaly in Earth’s Magnetic Field – with video
NASA is actively monitoring a strange anomaly in Earth's magnetic field: a giant region of lower magnetic intensity in the skies above the planet, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa. This vast, developing [...]
New, Better Models Show How Infectious Diseases Like COVID-19 Spread
Infectious diseases such as COVID-19 can spread rapidly across the globe. Models that can predict how such diseases spread will strengthen national surveillance systems and improve public health decision-making. The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the [...]
Human Antibodies Discovered That Can Block Multiple Coronaviruses Including COVID-19
Results from a Scripps Research and UNC team pave the way for a vaccine and therapeutic antibodies that could be stockpiled to fight future coronavirus pandemics. A team of scientists from Scripps Research and [...]
Nanotechnology could be used to treat lymphedema
The human body is made up of thousands of tiny lymphatic vessels that ferry white blood cells and proteins around the body, like a superhighway of the immune system. It's remarkably efficient, but if [...]
DNA Nanotechnology Tools – From Design to Applications
Suite of DNA nanotechnology devices engineered to overcome specific bottlenecks in the development of new therapies, diagnostics, and understanding of molecular structures. DNA nanostructures with their potential for cell and tissue permeability, biocompatibility, and [...]
Regenerating bone with deer antler stem cells
Scientists from a collection of Chinese research institutions collaborated on a study of organ regeneration in mammals, finding deer antler blastema progenitor cells are a possible source of conserved regeneration cells in higher vertebrates. [...]
AI Takes On Cancer: Analysis of Mutations Could Lead to Improved Therapy
Cancer is a complex and diverse disease, and its range of associated mutations is vast. The combination of these genomic changes in an individual is referred to as their “mutational landscape.” These landscapes vary [...]
Exposing tumours to bacteria converts immune cells to cancer killers
New research on inflammation could lead to better treatments to improve outcomes for people with advanced or previously untreatable cancers. Introducing bacteria to a tumour’s microenvironment creates a state of acute inflammation that triggers [...]
Smart nanotechnology for more accurate delivery of insulin
More efficient and longer lasting glucose-responsive insulin that eliminates the need for people with type 1 diabetes to measure their glucose levels could be a step closer thanks to a Monash University-led project. Published [...]
Efficiently Harvesting Rare Earth Elements From Wastewater Using Exotic Bacteria
The novel strains of cyanobacteria exhibit a fast and efficient “biosorption” of rare earth elements, making recycling possible. Rare earth elements (REEs) are a set of 17 metallic elements that possess similar chemical properties. [...]
Resisting Treatment: Cancer Cells Shrink or Super-Size To Survive
A new approach to image analysis has uncovered how cancer cells manipulate their size as a means of resisting treatment. Researchers have discovered that cancer cells are capable of either shrinking or super-size themselves [...]
New Research Explains Why Children Avoid Severe COVID-19 Symptoms
According to new research, children exhibit a robust initial immune response to the coronavirus, however, they are unable to transfer this response to long-lasting memory T cells like adults do. Researchers led by scientists [...]
Scientists Unravel Protein Map of Mitochondria
A new study sheds light on the organization of proteins within mitochondria. Mitochondria, the “powerhouses” of cells, play a crucial role in the energy production of organisms and are involved in various metabolic and [...]
