The COVID-19 vaccines could be doing a lot more than just warding off viral infection: they may be teaching our immune systems how to fight cancer more effectively.
There’s a growing body of scientific literature supporting the idea that so-called messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, by prompting a robust immune response within the body, can help cancer patients. And Northeastern University vaccine experts say the pandemic-era tech holds real promise as a tool to combat one of the world’s deadliest diseases.
“There is ample evidence showing how mRNA technology can transform how we prevent and treat diseases, including these cross benefits that we’re starting to see in cancer patients,” says Mansoor Amiji, university distinguished professor of pharmaceutical sciences and chemical engineering.
Amiji and his colleagues have been working on novel mRNA delivery systems. As part of that work, he’s been focused not only on how to make vaccines safer and more effective, but also easier to store without deep freezing them.
Unlike traditional vaccines that use weakened or inactivated viruses, mRNA vaccines work by giving the body genetic instructions to make a small component of a specific protein, then training the immune system to recognize and attack the real pathogen — or, in the case of cancer vaccines, diseased cells — when they show up.
