The idea is to engineer a personalized mRNA vaccine to produce tumor-specific antigens, which can stimulate an immune response against cancer cells. I don't personally believe the best therapy will require customisation for each person and that's going to seem like a silly way to approach it if CF33 demonstrates that you can find something to target and treat all cancers the same.
Personalized mRNA vaccines come with potential challenges and drawbacks:
1. Cost: Personalised treatments tend to be more expensive because they require the sequencing of each individual's cancer to identify unique mutations. This customization makes the manufacturing process more complex and costlier compared to traditional off-the-shelf treatments.
Cost really applies to most treatments, but something like onCARlytics with a generic CAR T would be far cheaper in my opinion. No personalisation is a winner.
2. Production time: The personalized approach necessitates the sequencing of the patient's tumor, identification of targetable mutations, and development of the vaccine, which can be time-consuming. This could potentially be a problem for patients with rapidly progressing diseases.
onCARlytics with a generic CAR T would be far quicker in my opinion.
3. Efficacy: While mRNA vaccines have shown promise in early trials, their effectiveness in a wider range of patients and cancers is still being studied. It's also important to note that not all cancers may be suitable for this treatment approach.
Same goes for CF33, early days, but at least CF33 appears universal unlike a cancer specific therapy.
4. Immunosuppression: Cancer often creates an immunosuppressive environment within the body, which can reduce the effectiveness of vaccines and other immunotherapies.
CAR T targeting CD19 should help with this. Not sure what mRNA vaccines do to help with this.
5. Storage and Delivery: Like the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, cancer mRNA vaccines may require extremely cold storage conditions. Additionally, the delivery of mRNA into cells can be challenging.
Probably an issue for onCARlytics too, not so much the delivery into cells, as its great at targeting tumours from what we know so far. Transport and storage will be a challenge to overcome but not a big one.
6. Safety and Side Effects: Although mRNA vaccines have been found to be safe in the context of COVID-19, their safety profile in the long-term and when used for cancer treatment is still being studied. Potential side effects may include fever, fatigue, and injection site reactions. Severe allergic reactions have also been reported, although they are extremely rare.
Depends who you ask but most people seem fine from mRNA vaccines for COVID-19. No AE so far for CF33 I don't think?
7. Potential for Autoimmunity: The immune response generated by mRNA vaccines is potent. There is a hypothetical risk that this could trigger autoimmune responses, although this has not been substantiated in the current literature.
Probably exists for both.
In summary, personalised mRNA vaccines for cancer treatment are a promising avenue of research, but they do come with challenges that need to be further addressed in ongoing and future research.
I will personally stick to backing YF and put my money behind CF33 and onCARlytics being a better therapy than mRNA vaccines.
All just my thoughts, happy to be told otherwise if you disagree.
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