Last week, The European Commission authorizing Comirnaty, a third version of the updated COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX) to be used in EU countries' vaccination campaigns this autumn to combat yet another Covid-19 variant. But although this virus hasn’t disappeared, cancer still remains one of the biggest health challenges of our lifetime, and a battle that the pharmaceutical industry is far from winning.

At the end of July, Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) and Merck (NYSE:MRK) began a late-stage study of skin-cancer combination treatment that includes a personalized mRNA-based skin cancer vaccine along with the immunotherapy Keytruda. The mid-stage study conducted in 157 melanoma patients revealed that the vaccine combination lowered the risk of recurrence or death by 44% in comparison to treatment with Keytruda alone. The vaccine is tailored for each patient to activate the key player of the body's immune response, T-cells, based on the tumor’s specific mutational signature. BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX) and Gritstone Bio Inc (NASDAQ:GRTS) are also are also developing cancer vaccines based on the mRNA technology. Scientists have been trying to develop these vaccines for decades without success but this combination of mRNA vaccines with immune boosting drugs promise to create a new generation of cancer therapies. 

Yet, unlike the COVID-19 scenario, there’s still little talk about prevention or at the very least, early detection of cancer. Today, a molecular genetics diagnostic company specializing in the early detection of life-threatening conditions, Mainz Biomed N.V. (NASDAQ:MYNZ), announced a strategic partnership with Ärztliches Labor Dr. Buhlmann in attempt to strengthen its market positioning. Its flagship product, ColoAlert®, is positioned as an accurate, non-invasive and easy-to-use, early-detection diagnostic test for colorectal cancer. Already marketed across Europe, it is undergoing a pivotal FDA clinical study for US regulatory approval. The company is also developing PancAlert, an early-stage screening test for pancreatic cancer.

In 2022, The Association of Substitute Health Insurance Funds in 2022 estimated that approximately 10.5% of Germany’s population, which is about 8.7 million individuals, are covered by private health insurance (PHI) and a substantial portion of these beneficiaries are within the critical 50-74 age range, which is the targeted demographic for CRC screening. Moreover, CRC is the third most common cancer in the world, according to the World Cancer Research Fund International. The market opportunity in the U.S. is massive as roughly one-third of the country’s population aged 50-75 have never been screened for colon cancer, translating to more than $4 billion market opportunity for Mainz Biomed. 

With its latest strategic partnership with Ärztliches Labor Dr. Buhlmann, a respected player in PCR-based analysis, Mainz Biomed gained the opportunity to further expand into Germany’s private health insurance arena where its ColoAlert® is already eligible for reimbursement. But, this partnership also promises to fuel its vision of facilitating early CRC detection across the globe as besides her public and private sector networks, Dr. Buhlmann’s laboratory will bring considerable expertise in pioneering molecular diagnostic tests to this promising company. Dr. Buhlmann also acknowledged the company’s innovative contribution to dramatically improving CRC testing.