New Melbourne research hub to develop breakthrough cancer treatments

Groundbreaking cancer treatments will be developed in Victoria at a new research hub run by the company behind the Pfizer Covid jab.

VICTORIANS could soon receive personalised cancer treatments tailored to their genetics after a major player behind mRNA vaccines decided to set up shop in the state.

Medical Research Minister Jaala Pulford on Friday announced BioNTech would open a messenger RNA research and manufacturing facility in Melbourne.

Working with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and other researchers, the company will help using the emerging technology for medical breakthroughs in cancer and other diseases.

Messenger RNA vaccines were developed to fight Covid, creating harmless copies of the virus’s spike protein to train the bodies defences.

But the medical community believe it is the next big development in health and could be used to treat cancers and develop vaccines for diseases that have eluded researchers.

BioNTech, along with Pfizer, created the world’s first Covid vaccine using mRNA and it has been one of the most used across the world.

The German company will now set up a hub in Melbourne to develop new vaccines, treatments and to manufacture jabs for clinical trials.

These “small batch” vaccines will mean breakthroughs can be created and tested within the state.

Medical Research Minister Jaala Pulford on Friday announced BioNTech would set up a messenger RNA research and manufacturing facility in Melbourne. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Personalised cancer treatments tailored to each individual case and brand new medicine are among the things that will be researched.

It comes just months after another major mRNA vaccine player, Moderna, agreed to set up a massive manufacturing hub in Victoria.

BioNTech will also set up it’s early warning technology in the state, using artificial intelligence to detect new threats and quickly create treatments.

Ms Pulford said Moderna and BioNTech were the only companies in the world who had produce mRNA products on the market.

“Soon they will both call Victoria home,” she said.

“Global medical research is expected in the next decade to be dominated by mRNA research.

“This partnership will enable all of us to be part of major research breakthroughs and take global leadership in the evolution of disease.”

Ms Pulford, who made the announcement at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, said the future of the technology was in individual treatments for patients.

“Instead of treating cancers as a type or a category, they will be treated as a very individual set of reactions within an individual body.

“We’re here at Peter Mac, because that is going to be really, really important partnership.”

Covid mRNA vaccines work by injecting a harmless copy of the virus’s spike protein so that the body can learn to fight against it.

But BioNTech chief operating officer Sierk Poetting said the technology could also be used to provide tailor-made cancer treatments for each individual body.

“With mRNA what you can actually do is you can program the immune system and every cancer is different,” he said.

“95 per cent of the mutations are random and different from patient to patient.

“What you can really do in fully individualised cancer treatments … You have like a wanted poster of the cancer and you can pick the most relevant characteristics and code this into mRNA

“The immune system is then probed or primed with this wanted poster and the killer cells go out and look for the cancer.”

Treasurer Tim Pallas said the new hub was the “missing link” needed for the state to become a global player in mRNA.

Just a handful of locations around the world have the capability to research and manufacture the technology.

“This is a major coup for Victoria,” Mr Pallas said.