Words by Amy Packham
What's the deal?
So, the news is vaccines that target cancer *could* be available by the end of 2030, scientists have said.
Who said this, then?
It was Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci who cofounded BioNTech, the german firm that partnered with Pfizer to produce the Covid vaccine.
They said they'd made a "breakthrough" which gave them hope for creating a cancer vaccine in the next few years.
What did they actually say?
The husband and wife team were speaking to Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC, and Özlem Türeci discussed how the Covid vaccine could potentially be used to attack cancer cells (instead of coronaviruses).
Uğur Şahin said they "could be available before 2030”.
Wow, that's quick!
Well, yes, but BioNTech was working on mRNA cancer vaccines before Covid hit in 2020 – so it's been in the making.
They now have a couple of cancer vaccines in clinical trials. These will hopefully develop treatments bowel cancer, melanoma and other cancer types, they said.
But, we have to be cautious?
Yes, to an extent. Özlem Türeci added: “As scientists we are always hesitant to say we will have a cure for cancer. We have a number of breakthroughs and we will continue to work on them.”
This article aligns with the UN SDG Good Health and Wellbeing.
