The technology used in some Covid-19 doses could facilitate different vaccines or treatments for certain cancers.
These advances need the firm and constant support of public administrations.
The messenger RNA technology used for some covid-19 vaccines will open new doors for cancer treatment, and although there is no single vaccine, because cancer is not an infection, it could facilitate different vaccines or treatments for certain cancers.
This was stated today by Dr Álvaro Rodríguez-Lescure, president of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) and Dr Luis Paz-Ares, president of the Spanish Association for Cancer Research (ASEICA).
In a telematic press conference on the occasion of World Innovation Day, they recalled that behind this technology are two Turkish medical oncologists – Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci – whose research focused on the immune system in the fight against cancer.
They also stressed that the new molecular and genomic tools, which make it possible, for example, to break down and analyse the genome of each person, have led to significant progress in the application of precision and personalised medicine for each patient.
This has meant, they explained in colloquial language, that the “surnames” of many tumours and the specific drugs for each one have been discovered, avoiding other more invasive or generalist treatments.
They also pointed out that the development of liquid biopsy techniques (with a simple blood test) will allow doctors to detect some types of cancer before they appear.
But all these advances, they concluded, need the decisive and constant support of public administrations, together with private collaboration.
For this reason, they have called for a strategic and coordinated plan like the one in France or the United Kingdom so that Spain is not left behind, and most importantly, so that the current care for cancer patients is equitable, and does not depend on the place of residence.
EFE, Translated with DeepL.com