Using mRNA technology to prevent cancer and treat disease

The Albanese Government is awarding more than $19 million to six research projects that use mRNA – the medical technology that underpins the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines – to find vaccines to prevent cancer and urinary tract infections.

A team from the University of Technology Sydney, will receive $1.8 million from the MRFF’s Global Health Initiative to develop an mRNA vaccine to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI) caused by bacteria called Escherichia coli – or E. coli – which is the most common cause of community acquired UTIs.

Approximately 250,000 Australians develop a UTI each year, with more than 1 in 2 women and 1 in 20 men are likely to have a UTI in their lifetime.

E. coli bacteria are currently treatable with antibiotics, but some strains are already resistant to antibiotics and as more become resistant, new forms of treatment will be needed.

A successful mRNA vaccine would teach the body’s immune system to recognise and fight the bacteria, preventing most UTIs from recurring.

It is hoped the project will lead to clinical trials in the next three years with people who suffer very frequent UTIs, including patients who use catheters for extended time periods such as those with a loss of bladder control through spinal cord injuries.

A team from University of Queensland will receive $3.3 million to create a facility in Brisbane to design, make and deliver mRNA vaccines and evaluate their use against cancers.

mRNA vaccines are a relatively new medical technology used successfully in some applications, including to prevent and reduce the severity of COVID infections.

The University of Queensland project will explore their effectiveness against a range of cancers where few other treatments are available. mRNA vaccines have been shown to target mutated proteins in pancreatic tumours and have potential against other cancers.

The vaccines work to prime the body’s natural immune response against cancer, rather than damage and kill cancer cells. As mRNA vaccines do not damage healthy cells, they have fewer side effects than current cancer therapies like chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

The vaccine production facility will enable Australian researchers to conduct world-leading research on mRNA vaccines and develop new therapies for a range of cancers.

The University of Queensland project is one of five projects funded under the Medical Research Future Fund’s National Critical Research Infrastructure Initiative, which all seek to build out the infrastructure required to safely develop, test and evaluate mRNA therapies and vaccines.

The MRFF is a $22 billion long-term Australian Government investment supporting Australian health and medical research.

Full details of the projects funded are available here.