Koç University, BioNTech to cooperate on cancer research

Buse Özel - ISTANBUL

Alamy Photo

Germany-based biotechnology company BioNTech and Türkiye’s Koç University have signed a collaboration agreement that encompasses a series of clinical research, mainly cancer treatments.

According to the agreement, clinical research will initially be conducted in the fields of cancer, neurological, and infectious diseases. In the following period, patients may volunteer for the trial stages of certain drugs.

Anıl Özkan, the general manager of BioNTech Türkiye, emphasized that the main focus of the collaboration will be cancer patients, adding that 24 of their clinical studies are also focused on cancer.

In addition to cancer treatments, they will focus on infectious and neurological diseases.

Noting that the agreement with Koç University is the first cooperation made in Türkiye, Özkan said that his company aims to carry out joint projects with other universities in the coming period.

“We also have agreements with several universities in Germany, the U.K., Australia, and Asian countries,” he said.

On June 12 BioNTech faced its first legal claim in its home country of Germany over adverse effects allegedly suffered by some users of its Covid vaccines, more than two years after one of the world’s fastest and most extensive inoculation campaigns.

Commenting on the lawsuit filed in Germany, Ruşen Oran, the medical director of BioNTech Türkiye, said, “We take all responsibility seriously and evaluate the issue accordingly.”

“We know that over 1.5 billion people worldwide, including more than 64 million people in Germany alone, have been vaccinated. Based on the data, the vaccine does not have a connection to health problems. We have concluded that the lawsuit is unfounded,” Oran said.