2023-06-19 01:13:00
namely mRNA Is that we will be able to send “commands” to cells in the body to produce any protein. That can be used in the treatment of various types of diseases means that instead of having to eat drugs produced from external factories. Our cells become factories within the body that produce drugs according to our needs.
I’ve been thinking of investing in the stocks of 2 companies competing in developing this technology, namely Modern and BioNTech (I repeat, this article is not a recommendation to invest in any company stock.)
I remember thinking it was a good idea to invest at the end of 2019. Moderna’s stock price was about $20. Later, with the COVID-19 pandemic, its stock rose to a peak of $449 in July. 2021 and was reduced to only $ 127 in early June.
An interesting question is What fundamental factors is the current stock price reflecting?
Number 1 is that the company’s profits will likely continue to decline in the future when the demand for COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, the current P / E of 10 times means nothing. Number 2 is that this stock will be able to increase in the future if there is COVID-19. A new breed emerges
However, over the past three years, it has been proven that mRNA technology “doesn’t work.” “What next?” The answer is that both Moderna and BioNTech decided to invest their profits in researching ways to use them.mRNA technology to treat cancer
Moderna has partnered with pharmaceutical giant Merck to develop a vaccine to treat it.skin cancerThe deadliest is melanoma.
BioNTech is partnering with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute and pharmaceutical company Roche to develop a vaccine to treat it.pancreatic cancer
There are many types of cancer and it is a very difficult disease to treat. Because cancer cells are originally normal cells that have been mutated. which the body’s immune system will “not see” as a “villain”, but still see it as “the same people”
So drugs used to treat cancer, such as Merck’s melanoma drug Keytruda, are used to stimulate the immune system to eliminate it.cancer cellsAfter the surgery that tried to remove the cancer from the body as much as possible was successful.
On June 5, 2023, the results of a trial of Keytruda in combination with Moderna vaccine were published in 157 patients with cancer, and the risk of cancer coming back was reduced by as much as 65. % compared to a single dose of Keytruda
So what did Moderna’s vaccine do to make Keytruda more effective? the process is
1. Take the patient’s cancer cells.genetic sequence (genetic sequencing) Cancer cells are different for each type of cancer and for each patient.
2. Must liveartificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence) to predict how cancer cells will develop (How do cancer cells “look”?)
3. Assess which parts of the cancer cells that are distinctive and different from normal cells should be taken.imitate These are then produced into mRNA vaccines to inject into the body and “teach” the immune system to recognize this “bad guy” and defeat it. If there are any left or come back again
Vaccination is not easy. That will take at least 8 weeks. Moderna doesn’t say how much it will cost, but in the case of BioNTech, it uses the same technology. Revealed that the cost per person is about $100,000 (3.45 million baht).
But in the case of BioNTech, it is a treatment for pancreatic cancer. This is a cancer that is very difficult to treat and spreads very quickly.
Normally, if it is melanoma, the mortality rate is about 10%, but in the case of pancreatic cancer The fatality rate is probably close to 90%.
However, in the case of Moderna, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has allowed it to undergo a speedy approval process. It was designated as “break through therapy” in February.
It is estimated that about 100,000 people in the United States will develop melanoma and about 8,000 people in the United States will die from the disease.
For pancreatic cancer Statistically, about 64,000 Americans get the disease per year and about 51,000 die from it per year.
There were only 16 patients, but the results were better than expected: 50% of patients (8 patients) had no cancer recurrence 18 months after surgery and vaccination. It is usually found that the cancer returns about 80%.
I believe that the technology of these 2 companies will be a hope for cancer treatment in the future, but at present we have to take care of ourselves first. And the best way to take care of yourself to reduce your risk of cancer is no smoking weight control, not fat exercise regularly and be careful not to develop diabetes
especially theexerciseThe research found that it reduces the risk of at least 13 types of cancer and reduces the risk by about 20%.
Column Economics + Health
Dr. Supawut Saicheua
Advisor to Phatara Research Institute
Kiatnakin Phatra Financial Group
1687199162
#mRNA #cancer #treatment #Supawut #Saicheua