Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cancer Vaccine Possible By 2030, BioNTech Co-Founders Say
Press Association: Cancer Vaccine Could Be Available By 2030, Say Scientists Behind Covid Shot
Cancer vaccines could be accessible to patients within the next decade, the husband and wife team behind one of the most successful Covid jabs has said. German couple Professors Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci said they are hesitant to say they can find a cure for cancer, but that they have had "breakthroughs" they will keep working on. (10/16)
The Guardian: Vaccines To Treat Cancer Possible By 2030, Say BioNTech Founders
Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, who co-founded BioNTech, the German firm that partnered with Pfizer to manufacture a revolutionary mRNA Covid vaccine, said they had made breakthroughs that fuelled their optimism for cancer vaccines in the coming years. Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Prof Türeci described how the mRNA technology at the heart of BioNTech’s Covid vaccine could be repurposed so that it primed the immune system to attack cancer cells instead of invading coronaviruses. (Sample, 10/16)
In updates on the effort to eradicate polio —
AP: Gates Foundation Pledges $1.2B To Eradicate Polio Globally
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says it will commit $1.2 billion to the effort to end polio worldwide. The money will be used to help implement the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s strategy through 2026. The initiative is trying to end the polio virus in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the last two endemic countries, the foundation said in a statement Sunday. The money also will be used to stop outbreaks of new variants of the virus. The announcement was made Sunday at the World Health Summit in Berlin. (10/16)
Bloomberg: Gates Pledges $1.2 Billion To Speed End Of Crippling Poliovirus
Bill Gates says polio came tantalizingly close to being eradicated in the spring, before new outbreaks were seeded in Africa and a man was paralyzed in New York. Now the billionaire’s philanthropic foundation is pledging $1.2 billion to complete the mission. (Gale, 10/16)
