UK: Cancer Vaccine Trials Set For This Year

    Photo: Telegraph [via Reuters]

    The Facts

    • The pharmaceutical company BioNTech has inked a deal with the UK government to conduct trials for an mRNA-based cancer vaccine this year.

    • BioNTech, which developed a COVID mRNA vaccine in collaboration with Pfizer, announced plans to open new UK research centers and administer 10k doses of the treatment by 2030. The mRNA therapies introduce personalized pieces of genetic code to help train the immune system to fight cancerous cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed.


    The Spin

    Pro-establishment narrative

    mRNA technologies are the future of healthcare, and the UK government is wise to make big investments. The COVID pandemic has shown that these treatments can be safe and effective, and there is hope that everything from the flu to HIV will eventually be able to be treated via mRNA vaccines. This news is no surprise to anybody who has kept their pulse on the health world, as we will finally see just how far mRNA technologies can go in treating diseases.

    Establishment-critical narrative

    Once again, the media is running away with science news at a breathless pace. While the trials were promising, the studies on mRNA cancer treatments do not indicate some kind of miracle cure. It is unlikely that mRNA vaccines will be first-line treatments for cancer anytime soon, as they mostly prevent the reoccurrence of cancer. The UK government is selling false hope to their people with their imprecise messaging.


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