Germany's BioNTech initiates phase 2 trial with mRNA cancer vaccine

German vaccine developer BioNTech said the first colorectal cancer patient had been treated with its individualized mRNA cancer vaccine BNT122 (autogene cevumeran, RO7198457) in a phase 2 trial.
The firm plans to enroll about 200 patients to evaluate the efficacy of BNT122 after surgery and chemotherapy.
The trial has been initiated in the United States, Germany, Spain and Belgium.
Özlem Türeci, chief medical officer of BioNTech, said: "Many cancers progress in such a way that the patient initially appears tumour-free after surgery, but after some time tumour foci that were initially invisible grow and form metastases. In this clinical trial in patients with colorectal cancer, we aim to identify high-risk patients with a blood test and investigate whether an individualized mRNA vaccine can prevent such relapses."