China rushes to develop Moderna-style cancer vaccines amid market frenzy
A group of Hong Kong-listed biotechnology companies have seen their stock prices surge in the wake of Moderna’s breakthrough cancer vaccine trial, as the Chinese companies push forward with similar vaccine programmes. The companies – from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals to Li Ka-shing-backed CK Life Sciences – already have a slew of cancer vaccines in development, which could have a large…
Recent breakthroughs in cancer vaccine trials by Moderna and Merck have ignited a rush among Chinese biotechnology firms to develop comparable therapies. Companies such as Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals and CK Life Sciences, backed by Li Ka-shing, are racing ahead with their own cancer vaccine programs, recognizing a substantial potential market in China, where nearly 2.6 million people succumb to cancer annually.
Experts indicate that China has already cultivated a pipeline of over 100 cancer vaccine programs. However, the crucial challenge for these firms is to mirror Moderna's success in treating various tumor types, as melanoma alone does not represent a lucrative market.
While the manufacturers grapple with manufacturing personalized vaccines swiftly and economically, market sentiment has surged following Moderna and Merck's announcement that their personalized mRNA vaccine had decreased the risk of melanoma recurrence or progression in a phase three trial involving around 1,140 patients. This represents a first for an mRNA cancer vaccine.
Shanghai-based Everest Medicines saw its shares in Hong Kong increase by 34 percent over the past five days, while CK Life Sciences surged more than 11 percent. Dr Melvin Toh Kean-meng, CK Life Sciences' vice-president and chief scientific officer, explained that therapeutic cancer vaccines aim to either prevent cancer recurrence post-treatment or directly treat existing tumors.
They achieve this by stimulating the patient's immune system, typically via a T cell response, to target and eliminate cancer cells. Additionally, some vaccines could also trigger an antibody response to control tumor growth.
In contrast to Moderna's personalized approach, CK Life Sciences is developing "off-the-shelf, non-personalized vaccines" using circular RNA. This strategy aims to make the vaccines more accessible to a broader population rather than being tailored to individual patients. CK Life Sciences' most advanced asset is anticipated to enter clinical trials by late 2027.
Personalized cancer treatment involves doctors extracting a tumor sample from the patient to identify key mutations or neoantigens, subsequently creating a bespoke vaccine that is administered back into the patient. This approach, however, comes with a high price tag. Beijing-based Likang Life Sciences, which has developed its own personalized mRNA vaccine candidate, estimates the treatment would cost less than 100,000 yuan (US$14,900) for a six-dose course.
Established in 2019, the company has raised US$27.42 million in funding. In China, most cancer vaccine candidates are still in the initial stages of clinical development, as the field remains at an early stage overall, according to Cui.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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