The World Ahead 2022
Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci on the future of mRNA therapies
The founders of BioNTech are looking beyond covid-19
THE RAPID development of multiple covid-19 vaccines is an unprecedented achievement in drug development that has offered a way out of the pandemic. But there is more good news to come. The role of vaccines based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology in this success heralds a new era in the development of therapies for other diseases.
The mRNA breakthrough was made possible by scientific co-operation over three decades that helped transform a promising concept into a highly potent and versatile biopharmaceutical platform. We believe that in 15 years, one-third of all newly approved drugs will be based on mRNA.
Rather than relying on complex and time-consuming fermentation processes to produce drugs, mRNA therapies instead turn the recipient’s own cells into drug factories. Each mRNA molecule is a recipe that instructs the cells to manufacture a specific desired protein. Our covid-19 vaccine prompts cells to manufacture the “spike” protein found in the coronavirus’s outer coating, thus priming the immune system so that it can subsequently recognise and fend off the virus.
This technology is a turning-point in the pharmaceutical industry, comparable to the inauguration of recombinant DNA technology (allowing the production of human-protein drugs such as insulin), or monoclonal antibodies in laboratory fermenters, more than 40 years ago. The roll-out of this concept into readily available drugs promises to disrupt and transform the industry—and global health.
We believe that in 15 years, one-third of all newly approved drugs will be based on mRNA
The development of covid-19 vaccines based on mRNA has proved the efficacy and safety of this approach in preventing infectious diseases. The fact that a safe and effective vaccine could be developed in less than 12 months, in the midst of a pandemic, and then manufactured at scale, suggests that mRNA vaccines will play an important role in future pandemic-preparedness programmes, which are high on governments’ agendas.
It also paves the way for mRNA vaccines to be deployed against other infectious diseases. Many existing vaccines for such diseases might be reformulated using mRNA, making them more efficient. We believe that the versatility of mRNA technology offers opportunities to go further, and to combat currently undefeated diseases.
At BioNTech, we are now going beyond covid-19 and investing in mRNA-vaccine programmes to deal with diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV, which are still responsible for many deaths in lower-income countries. The prospect of being able to bring mRNA technology to bear is creating a spirit of optimism in the fight against these human scourges.
The pandemic has forced people to work better together. Recently initiated projects have seen a high degree of co-operation between institutions such as the World Health Organisation, international regulatory authorities and funding organisations, supported by experts who have been researching the pathogens of interest for more than 30 years. The first mRNA-vaccine candidates for these diseases are expected to enter clinical trials in 2022 and 2023.
We also face increasingly challenging health problems on a global scale, such as age-related diseases in developed countries and the growing need for affordable primary health-care in low-income countries. These can be conquered only by sustainable innovation that is versatile and cost-efficient, and can enable the individualisation of treatment and targeting of rare diseases. We believe these needs could be perfectly addressed by mRNA.
The rich toolbox of mRNA technologies includes an increasingly diversified portfolio of mRNA formats, some with the ability to multiply in cells, and a plethora of ways to deliver mRNA to different organs and cells in the body. In the future, mRNA drugs could be used for individualised cancer therapies, regenerative medicine, and for a wide variety of diseases such as allergies, autoimmune conditions and inflammatory diseases.
What mRNA did next
The stage is set for the emergence of a new health-tech industry that will redefine the biotech-pharmaceutical landscape. A key enabler of success will be that health-tech leaders and pioneers welcome and support new disruptors to the market. Only by further encouraging investment in innovation and fostering a culture of co-operation and cross-fertilisation will this new industry become a changemaker for public health. This new generation of tech-pharma players may reshape the world’s health in 2022—and beyond.■
This article appeared in the Science and Technology section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2022 under the headline “The post-covid future of mRNA therapies ”