Ozlem Tureci started the German drug company BioNTech with her husband Ugur Sahin in 2008. The two are now known for doing important work on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus. But they started their company to work on a cure for cancer. In fact, the doctors started a different company about 20 years ago to work on cancer drugs. They sold that company for about $1 billion in 2016. BioNTech was looking for a way to cause the body’s immune system to fight tumors with a technology called messenger RNA, or mRNA. In early 2020, Tureci and Sahin heard about a new virus that was infecting people in China. They thought they could find a way to use their technology to fight it. They had already been working with Pfizer on a new influenza vaccine. They created a new project, to find a vaccine for the new coronavirus, and called it “Project Lightspeed.” Within 11 months, Britain approved use of the coronavirus vaccine they developed working with Pfizer. One week later, the U.S. approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use. Now, tens of millions of people around the world have received their vaccine.
Title: Cancer Is Next Target for mRNA Vaccine Technology
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/B.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Cancer Is Next Target for mRNA Vaccine Technology' data-article-id='5505'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='8667'>Ozlem Tureci started the German drug company BioNTech with her husband Ugur Sahin in 2008.</span> <span data-start-time='8667' data-end-time='17396'>The two are now known for doing important work on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus.</span> <span data-start-time='17396' data-end-time='22125'>But they started their company to work on a cure for cancer.</span> <span data-start-time='22125' data-end-time='30396'> In fact, the doctors started a different company about 20 years ago to work on cancer drugs.</span> <span data-start-time='30396' data-end-time='35979'>They sold that company for about $1 billion in 2016.</span> <span data-start-time='35979' data-end-time='49708'>BioNTech was looking for a way to cause the body’s immune system to fight tumors with a technology called messenger RNA, or mRNA.</span> <span data-start-time='49708' data-end-time='58667'>In early 2020, Tureci and Sahin heard about a new virus that was infecting people in China.</span> <span data-start-time='58667' data-end-time='63375'>They thought they could find a way to use their technology to fight it.</span> <span data-start-time='63375' data-end-time='69521'> They had already been working with Pfizer on a new influenza vaccine.</span> <span data-start-time='69521' data-end-time='79646'>They created a new project, to find a vaccine for the new coronavirus, and called it “Project Lightspeed.”</span> <span data-start-time='79646' data-end-time='88146'>Within 11 months, Britain approved use of the coronavirus vaccine they developed working with Pfizer.</span> <span data-start-time='88146' data-end-time='96271'>One week later, the U.S. approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use.</span> <span data-start-time='96271' data-end-time='104000'>Now, tens of millions of people around the world have received their vaccine.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/B.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17085 data-hint-location='35979' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/_what_does_mrna_stand_for.wav'> What does mRNA stand for?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Messenger RNA'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/multiple_rna.wav'><span>Multiple RNA</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/messenger_rna.wav'><span>Messenger RNA</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/mononucleosis_rna.wav'><span>Mononucleosis RNA</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/marshall_vaccine_study.wav'><span>Marshall vaccine study</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17086 data-hint-location='79646' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/what_is_the_name_of_the_company_biontech_partnered_with_to_develop_the_new_vaccine.wav'>What is the name of the company BioNTech partnered with to develop the new vaccine?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Pfizer'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/moderna.wav'><span>Moderna</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/pfizer.wav'><span>Pfizer</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/johnson_and_johnson.wav'><span>Johnson and Johnson</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/merck.wav'><span>Merck</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17087 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/the_german_drug_company_biontech_was_started_in__blank_.wav'>The German drug company, BioNTech, was started in <span class='blank'>2008</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='2008'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/1998.wav'><span>1998</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/2018.wav'><span>2018</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/2008.wav'><span>2008</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4981/1970.wav'><span>1970</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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