Cancer vaccines could make Britain science 'superpower' with £1bn BioNTech deal

Britain could become the global “superpower” at treating disease, the Government says.

The UK will today sign a new billion pound deal with drugmaker BioNTech to pioneer mRNA to fight the next pandemic and prevent cancers. The Covid jab-maker is investing £1 billion to set up three centres of excellence in the UK which will also use artificial intelligence (AI) to develop new drugs here for a range of diseases.

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told the : “There are two totally transformative technologies coming together - mRNA as a tool for vaccines plus artificial intelligence. We as a country can be not just a leading force, but the superpower that the needs when it comes to treating disease.”

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BioNTech, in collaboration with Pfizer, was the first company to develop an mRNA vaccine against Covid-19, which became the main vaccine used in Britain during the pandemic.

Traditionally, vaccines inject a weakened or deactivated form of a virus to help the body’s immune system recognise it so that when it comes into contact with a genuine infection it can fight it off. The mRNA technology does not use any virus but instead delivers genetic instructions to train the immune system to identify the virus’s spike protein. This meant it was deemed to be safer and less likely to cause side effects.

The same technology is now being used to develop cancer vaccines which help the body recognise and kill cancer cells. They could even be given to people at genetic risk of specific cancers to prevent tumour developing.

Mr Kyle said: “The Holy Grail is always stopping people getting cancer in the first place and mRNA treatments are preventative. We are in the foothills of the age where we could be treated for diseases that are not currently present in our bodies and actually the technology is leading in that direction faster than people realise. This is something that this government wants to be at the forefront of so it is British people who benefit first, while we also contribute to the global good.”

BioNTech is aiming to provide 10,000 UK patients with personalised cancer immunotherapies, tailored to their individual genetic risk, by 2030. It comes after the previous government signed a ten-year deal with the other big mRNA pharmaceutical firm Moderna in 2022, which last week opened its new manufacturing lab in Oxfordshire.

German multinational BioNTech will now start work setting up centres of excellence in Cambridge, London and a yet-to-be-confirmed third location. The London site will be a major hub to research AI to enhance our understanding of diseases, their causes and how drugs could target them.

Mr Kyle said: “This is a foundational technology that could be applied in ways that we can't even imagine right now. AI knows everything. It has consumed every scientific experiment in certain areas that has ever taken place and it can bring all of that information to bear. That means that its ability to solve problems using patterns and ideas using potential chemicals or existing drugs… is infinite.

“Imagine computer programs that actually have almost all information in it and are able to harness it and throw this information at new challenges. Then you get a glimpse of the era that we are now stepping into as humanity. How exciting it should be, and how much pride we should all take, that Britain is leading the way.”

How does mRNA work? (by Health and Science Editor Martin Bagot)

Messenger RNA (mRNA) has been described as a bit like developing a wanted poster for our immune system. Britain has made a huge investment in mRNA capabilities to protect the population from future pandemic and better treat existing diseases.

It uses genetic code to create an immune response by giving the body the instructions to protect against a certain virus or disease. Such vaccines have the potential to be repurposed at speed when combined with the vast genetic knowledge which can be harnessed by AI.

Once the design has been proven then a different face to the wanted poster - or a different set of genetic instructions - can be slotted in easily.

Vaccines which help prime the body's immune system to stop cancers returning are already here. The next step will be to develop personalised vaccines for people at high genetic risk of cancer to stop it developing in the first place.

At a third site, to be announced shortly, BioNTech will research vaccines including for diseases with high pandemic potential. To help get the deal with BioNTech the Government agreed to contribute £129 million in grant funding over the next ten years.

The UK life sciences sector is worth over £100 billion in turnover annually in the UK and supports 304,000 jobs in 6,850 businesses.

Chancellor said:“This is another testament to confidence in Britain being one of the world’s top investment destinations and a global hub for life sciences. It will create hundreds of high-skilled, well-paid jobs, as we deliver on our promise to put more money in working people’s pockets through our Plan for Change.”

BioNTech co-founder Uğur Şahin said: “This agreement marks the next chapter of our successful strategic partnership with the UK Government. Together, we have already made a meaningful difference in expanding access to investigational personalized cancer therapies for patients. Now we are taking the next step to accelerate and broaden our research and development efforts advancing towards our vision to translate science into survival for patients.”

Steve Bates, CEO of the UK BioIndustry Association, said: “BioNTech’s investment demonstrates the UK’s position as a top destination for life sciences innovation and underlines why the government is absolutely right to back our sector as a priority for growth. BioNTech is not only a pioneer in mRNA science, but also a visionary partner in building a truly unique public-private collaboration with the UK Government and – one that sets a benchmark for the world.

“The UK has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leverage its strong position to attract investment from global investors to create well-paid jobs and scale UK companies, if the upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan can address long-standing structural challenges in the financing and commercial environment.”

Richard Torbett, Chief Executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), said: “This investment is a testament to the fantastic skills, research capabilities, and scientific infrastructure we have in the UK. It is also a template for how the UK could unlock further life science sector growth by removing the barriers and roadblocks to investment.

“Big investments like this are years in the making and require both sides to have confidence that the other will deliver on their commitments. Trust is slow to build, but this deal shows it is worth the time and the risk.

“Life science companies are already the largest investors in UK R&D – but much of this comes from a handful of companies with deep UK roots. The UK has an opportunity to capture more of the global science pie if we can improve our competitive offering to the sector.”