mRNA vaccines may need more study in cancer patients

Reuters - 10/12/2020 - COVID-19 vaccines that employ new messenger RNA (mRNA) technology may require further testing before it becomes clear they are safe for cancer patients with solid tumors, cancer treatment experts say. The vaccines -- including those from Pfizer Inc with partner BioNTech SE and from Moderna Inc. -- work by carrying genetic instructions for making a protein from the virus that the immune system learns to recognize and defend against. The mRNA is encased in lipid nanoparticles that protect and deliver the fragile molecule into cells. While this technique is new for vaccines, it has long been used to carry cancer drugs into tumors, because tumors easily take up liposomes. This raises the possibility that tumor tissues would capture some of the liposomes carrying the vaccine's mRNA, said Gerard Milano of Nice University in France. The potential for part of the vaccine dose to become sequestered in tumors and the resulting effect on cancer pa...

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Posted on 10 December, 202015 December, 2020