National Geographic has commissioned a special documentary following the work of husband-and-wife duo Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci as they develop a potentially-gamechanging treatment for cancer.
The scientists came to prominence in 2020 as founders of the German pharmaceutical giant BioNTech, which developed one of the first vaccines for coronavirus.
The innovative vaccine used a new type of technology called mRNA to essentially instruct the body to recognise and fight a disease.
A catch-all 'cure' for cancer has proven elusive because all cancers are different - but with the new technology, the pair have the ultimate hope of creating a "vaccine" that would offer personalised treatment for each cancer patient.
An early trial of their technology on pancreatic cancer patients has shown that half of those treated are showing no signs of relapse 18 months down the line - whereas 88% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer typically die within three months.
"The Cancer Vaccine will give viewers a front-row seat to one of the biggest events in history unfolding in real time – the scientists racing to find a potential cure for cancer," said Tom McDonald, evp of global factual at National Geographic.
"With unprecedented inside access, we are honoured to be able to shine a light on the heroes – the scientists, patients and people, who are working to combat this disease that affects far too many of our friends, families and neighbours."
An airdate for the documentary has yet to be confirmed.
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