Some experts are hopeful that, at this rate, many forms of cancer will be readily treatable by the end of the decade. You have to imagine that in advanced gastric cancer, the medical need is very, very high. One very strong trend is cell therapies like, Europe Falls Behind in Efforts to Track Covid-19 Variants. And the first to be top of his class. Dr. Ugur Sahin and Dr. Özlem Türeci cofounded BioNTEch, which teamed with Pfizer on the coronavirus vaccine that is 90% effective in early data. I firmly believe that in the next 20 years, we will see a medical revolution in many areas. We want to continue with our innovation ... Türeci: ... until it becomes the new standard. It is more of a workroom than it is an executive suite with an antechamber. If the press coverage is anything to go by, BioNTech’s chief medical officer, Özlem Türeci, is on track for at least two Nobel Prizes: Medicine, and Peace. This is due to the fragmentation into individual nations. BioNTech is more of a high-tech firm than it is a classical pharmaceutical company. You won't find classic factory floors at the Mainz headquarters of BioNTech. He was part of this dream and helped create the necessary conditions. Political leaders will have to find a strategy. Germany-based scientist Dr. Uğur Şahin, the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine developer along with Dr. Özlem Türeci, has been in a dialogue with the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) to launch a cancer research center in his home country Turkey. The founders of BioNTech, the husband-wife team of Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci, are behind the company’s successful launch of the first Covid-19 vaccine to be authorized in the West. DER SPIEGEL: BioNTech’s origins are actually in cancer research. Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas would later acquire the company for at least a half a billion euros. We very convincingly showed that our antibody, IMAB362, contributes a highly significant increase in median overall survival. And we know that we increase the body's immune response with the second dose. Around 20 potential medications are currently under development, most of them cancer treatments. And the only way we saw was to found a company and do the clinical translation ourselves, because it was so early that we could not get any pharma company to take an interest. Türeci: We’re dealing with it well because we never attached much importance to it anyway. What I expect is that, after the wave of checkpoint inhibitors, others will come. Den Ausschlag gaben für Türeci aber praktische Gründe: „Dort kriegt man immer einen Platz.“ Mit wachsender Zuversicht auf einen wirksamen Corona-Impfstoff rücken die Biontech-Gründer Uğur Şahin und Özlem Türeci in den Fokus. In other words: We believe it could be 2023/24. DER SPIEGEL: It also hasn't yet been determined for how long immunity lasts, whether after an infection or after receiving the vaccine. The two seemed so relaxed that it was easy to forget all that was going on around them. The couple lives together with their daughter in an inconspicuous apartment located between company headquarters and the university. I could imagine more acquisitions of that nature in the future, provided they fit into our corporate culture. Almost every test subject who received the vaccine was protected from contracting COVID-19. We will be addressing inflammation, autoimmune diseases and regenerative therapies. Türeci: We like Mainz very much, this down-to-earthness, not so much excitement. On Nov. 9, 2020, though, Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin were catapulted onto the world stage essentially overnight. Our refined vaccine generation, which will be stable at much higher temperatures, could be available by late summer. Özlem Türeci discusses the future of individualized cancer therapy and her journey to become an entrepreneur and take science to patients. Türeci: From the very beginning, we started looking for solutions to increase production capacity and to develop a robust network of suppliers. ", "To see people finally benefitting from our work is really moving. ... Türeci once said in an interview that her and her husband even found time to work in the lab on their wedding day. When we were founded, we set out to ensure that our innovations would benefit everyone around the world. Türeci, meanwhile, is bustling through the laboratories in a white doctor's smock. Biontech The Biontech founders Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci gave a tentative, personal insight into their lives for the first time in an interview with “Spiegel”. We don’t sit in front of the computer all day googling ourselves. Şahin and Türeci have been the focus of global attention since then, with press outlets around the world showing a soft spot for the German couple with Turkish roots. Özlem Türeci and Professor Uğur Şahin. The BioNTech couple has been well known in the medical community for some time, particularly among cancer experts. Photograph: Biontech From the beginning, the plan was to bring it to a point where a pharma company would feel comfortable to take over and go the last mile of bringing the compound to the market. We had brought along a three-page paper summarizing the business plan. Şahin: The current situation doesn't look particularly rosy. Is it also a burden? Advertisement. But it isn’t just an issue for Europe. Immediately after it was discovered that the co-founders of BioNTech, oncologists Dr. Özlem Türeci and Prof. Uğur Şahin, were children of migrants from Turkey, the axis of the debate shifted to the lingering questions about migration, integration, diversity, and discrimination in Germany (and beyond). The two remain calm and focused. We have always sent the message out to the market that we want to remain independent. What concerns me is that the mutation apparently arose in a patient with a suppressed immune system. "Sometimes it seems like a Bermuda Triangle in which innovation disappears without a trace," Şahin says. Don't Miss Any Update With Our Weekly Newsletter! The EU only placed its order in November – and only for 300 million doses. Germany’s over-the-top pride was quickly followed by irritation. Individualized therapy, by definition, has to be the best option for cancer, which is a very heterogeneous disease, inter- and intra-individually. We are also in talks with companies that are specialized in the production of vaccine components in compliance with all pharmaceutical regulations. At the weekend, Die Welt am Sonntag published a list of the richest people in Germany. Dr Türeci, the chief medical officer of BioNTech, was born in Germany, the daughter of a Turkish physician who immigrated from Istanbul. But we also want to develop beyond these core areas. We could simply replace the genetic information for the current virus antigen with the new, mutated version. Ihre Familie stammt aus der türkischen Grossstadt Istanbul. Production facilities could then be converted to make vaccine instead of aspirin, for example. Biotechnology is no longer a vague promise. ; The vaccine, which was found to be 95% effective in … So we started to develop several cancer immunotherapy platforms. Biontech founders Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci. How do you feel about it? We founded the company in 2001, at a time where the private equity markets were quite risk-averse, which meant that it was also not so easy to get venture capital, and to recruit people for the company, and so on. In einem Interview erzählte Türeci, dass sie als Kind eigentlich Nonne werden wollte. At the time, Dr. Sahin and his company, BioNTech, were little known outside the small world of European biotechnology start-ups. They are both oncologists specialized in immunotherapy. By the end of January, we will have clarity on whether and how much more we will be able to produce. One might think that they could just flip the switch and produce as much vaccine as is needed. Feed Additives Put the Brakes on Cattle Methane Emissions. Your research is currently the greatest hope for billions of people. "He is a scientist and a man of principles. DER SPIEGEL: BioNTech is a German company and received 375 million euros in funding from the German government. I think that’s the most important thing I have learned in the last years. "At some point, it became clear that many of those producers wouldn't be able to deliver in a timely manner. I think we need a fundamental discussion about how to modernize decades-old drug development routines so they don't become a bottleneck for medical innovation. I believe that an important part of dealing with cancer will be to invest more in early detection of cancer. DER SPIEGEL: A discussion in Germany has already developed regarding possible privileges for those who have received the vaccine – when it comes to traveling, for example, or going to restaurants and events. Additional contracts are under negotiation. Many experts believe that the BioNTech vaccine has opened the door to a new disruptive technology – a new class of medications that could revolutionize the medical profession in the next two decades. Türeci once described herself as being a "Prussian Turk.” Still, the couple gets annoyed these days with the frequently told anecdote that they still went in to the lab on the day of their wedding in 2002 to continue working. Şahin: We employ people from more than 60 countries in our company. Türeci: There’s another problem in our industry. DER SPIEGEL: Progress has accelerated particularly rapidly recently in the area of oncology. 'He cares only about science. It's possible to escape that even in the digital age. Türeci: Many of our partnerships in cancer products are also designed to be on level footing and not as some gateway drug for acquisition. Ihr Vater arbeitete in Deutschland als Arzt und Chirurg. Özlem Türeci is a physician and immunologist. There’s No Need! DER SPIEGEL: Even German Internet pioneers like the Samwer brothers are now increasingly investing in real estate. How do you manage that as a couple? And we expanded our production capacities concurrently with the clinical development of the vaccine so that we could produce more than a billion doses. Many of our colleagues in biotechnology are pleased about our success because it is a benefit for the entire industry and will lead to new investments. Seit April 2020 forscht er hier mit seiner Frau Özlem Türeci am Impfstoff BNT162b2, einem Coronavirus-Impfstoff. But you shouldn't forget that simply preventing an outbreak of the illness has an effect on the further development of the pandemic, because people who develop symptoms through an outbreak of the illness are contagious for longer. Özlem Türeci (left) and Prof Uğur Şahin, the couple behind the new vaccine The couple behind the coronavirus vaccine breakthrough are among Germany’s biggest immigrant success stories. Discussing business is not his cup of tea. Or whether such kinds of "discrimination" should be forbidden. An important challenge for individualized treatments will be manufacturing, because you cannot scale up in the sense we are used to. Many pharma companies have programs where they try to connect to academic institutions and biotechs. They quickly noticed that Germany’s world-class science is too rarely represented in the medical field. That’s a deterrent. DER SPIEGEL: What percentage of you is still a researcher and what percentage of you is entrepreneur? We realized early on that each cancer is unique and should ideally be treated individually. We have initiated such a network for the vaccine. And given the importance of a vaccine for getting the economy up and running again, she and her husband, BioNTech CEO Uğur Şahin, could sweep up an Economics award, too. My father was a surgeon and had a practice, he was constantly surrounded by patients, and that inspired me to want to heal people. Şahin: One-hundred percent researcher and 70 percent entrepreneur. Date 22.12.2020 Author Konrad Busen Interview with Uğur Şahin ( Vaccine Creator ) When reports of a new coronavirus circulated in January, Biontech founders Uğur Are you as well? There are really good breakthroughs in terms of treatment, and this has to be complemented with early detection. It belongs to Şahin. It helped that we have over two decades of experience in immune engineering, triggering immune responses in the body. She is the chief medical officer of BioNTech and lecturer at the University of Mainz. How many doses will you be able to deliver to Europe in the first half of the year? Biontech founders Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci. And we have to consider how we can create structures in Europe to be competitive in that arena. Türeci: Yes, it is sometimes bothersome, but that's just part of the deal when you are trying to bring something brand new from the laboratory to the patient. In part because the European Union isn't directly authorized, and member states also have a say. DER SPIEGEL: Why did you choose mRNA as your field of research? If you can control mRNA, you can theoretically program cells to do all kinds of things, including attack a tumor. In 93rd place: Medicine professor Ugur Sahin and his wife Özlem Türeci. The billionaires find lists of riches superfluous and do not get anxious if the stock market value of Biontech drops significantly. Are other vaccine technologies not up to the task of defeating COVID-19? Türeci: Like whether and how what has now been learned about the pandemic vaccine can be applied to other drugs and diseases. It serves as a messenger, carrying construction blueprints from a cell's genetic material to its protein factories. You have to have the courage to do so as head of a global corporation. ", "The production of mRNA vaccines in medicinal quality is anything but trivial. U.S. President-elect Joe Biden was inoculated live on television with the BioNTech vaccine. Sehen Sie hier die Aufzeichnung des kompletten Interviews: It became apparent from the very beginning of the vaccination campaign that this can create problems. It had never brought a product to market. As we have just seen, drug development can take place very quickly. Medicine alone wasn’t enough for you? Plus, you learn to see things like production, storage, cooling and transportation as an extension of scientific innovation. I wanted to understand things, down to the purest and smallest detail. But we stuck to that and positioned ourselves at a spot where, years later, the ball hit the ground. It took a long time to become accepted that the immune system is a very potent tool to fight cancer, with checkpoint inhibitors showing tremendous success and, for the first time, curing cancer. One important thing I have learned is that it’s important to have a vision, and not let it go. Özlem Türeci and Ugur Sahin. Şahin: Unfortunately, we lack the necessary venture capital landscape. Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin dedicate their lives and work to helping people. Özlem Türeci. It all started with the fight against cancer. They have said that they are receiving hundreds of interview requests daily. Does your work follow you home? Covid-19 did not yet exist. On top of all that, she’s an Executive Board Member of the, We very convincingly showed that our antibody, IMAB362, contributes a highly significant increase in median overall survival. Şahin: We have the opportunity and the ambition to do it on our own. DER SPIEGEL: In addition to your practical training as a doctor in the hospital, you also studied mathematics. Ihr Ziel sei es damals gewesen, Menschen zu helfen. Şahin: We'll see if it is 50, 60 or 70 percent. In May 2020, we acquired a competitor in Cambridge in the U.S. with just under a hundred employees and an excellent research team on site there. The focus should be on finding solutions that strengthen the economy without putting people in danger. Even if there are several mutations, the actual structure of the virus antigen is changed by less than 1 percent. There will surely be some product candidates in those areas in the next year or two. The key was the eye-popping data we generated in our clinical trial. Along with her husband Ugur Sahin who is the CEO of the same biotech company, they developed the COVID-19 vaccine in the shortest possible time. Ugur Sahin und seine Ehefrau Özlem Türeci haben den ersten Impfstoff gegen Corona entwickelt, der am 11. Having an immigration background is totally normal for us. Ihre Entwicklung wird Millionen Menschenleben retten: Hier erzählen Will this speed up the development of the 20 or so other drugs you are working on? Özlem Türeci and Ugur Sahin have developed a vaccine against coronavirus. I trust him 100 percent.”. Dr. Ugur Sahin and Dr. Özlem Türeci cofounded BioNTEch, which teamed with Pfizer on the coronavirus vaccine that is 90% effective in early data. Şahin: Germany will receive a sufficient quantity of the vaccine. Özlem Türeci hat sich das Proviant-Magazin in der Mainzer Innenstadt ausgesucht. Şahin: I do believe that we could have an inspirational effect. In the U.S., it's enough to just present the hubcap and everyone congratulates you for your prospective innovative vehicle. Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin dedicate their lives and work to helping people. However, I think these are technical challenges which can be addressed by technological improvements that are already happening. In 2008, Ugur Sahin and his wife Özlem Türeci teamed up with Christoph Huber to establish the company Biontech in Mainz with a view to conducting research into drugs and technologies for cancer therapies. “Özlem Türeçi and Uğur Şahin, who found the vaccine in Germany, held a video conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. DER SPIEGEL: How many times has the head of Pfizer try to buy BioNTech? Maybe it’s their decades of training as scientists or even just their nature. If we successfully market the COVID-19 vaccine, we will generate financial resources that we will reinvest. DER SPIEGEL: In contrast to the United States, it is still unusual in Germany for academic researchers to start companies. Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin dedicate their lives and work to helping people.
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