The future of personalized cancer vaccines

Dr Bidyut Sarkar's groundbreaking work in cancer vaccine development has paved the way for a promising future in cancer treatment. As the second most common cause of global disease burden, finding a cure for cancer has been a long-standing aspiration for medical professionals worldwide. With three vaccines for skin and lung cancer reaching the final stages of clinical trials, the prospect of personalized cancer vaccines is becoming increasingly hopeful.

These innovative vaccines, developed by pharmaceutical giants Moderna and Merck, are tailored to each patient's unique genetic mutations. By targeting neoantigens specific to the individual, these vaccines aim to evoke a targeted immune response against cancer cells. The use of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, similar to the COVID-19 vaccines, allows for the delivery of personalized neoantigen therapies.

In addition to the mRNA-based vaccines, other RNA therapies such as small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) are also showing promise in the treatment of various diseases, including cancer. The individualized nature of these therapies, combined with advancements in artificial intelligence, offers new possibilities for precision medicine in cancer treatment.