The second phase trial of an mRNA-based cancer vaccine developed by BioNTech has started, the German biopharmaceutical company announced on Friday.

The first colorectal cancer patient was dosed with the individualized mRNA cancer vaccine BNT122 in a Phase 2 clinical trial, the company said in a statement.

Ozlem Tureci, co-founder and chief medical officer of BioNTech, said the trial is an important milestone in the company’s years long efforts to develop individualized immunotherapies for cancer patients.

- Many cancers progress in such a way that the patient initially appears tumor-free after surgery, but after some time tumor foci that were initially invisible grow and form metastases - she said.

- In this clinical trial in patients with colorectal cancer, we aim to identify high-risk patients with a blood test and investigate whether an individualized mRNA vaccine can prevent such relapses - she added.

The trial will enroll approximately 200 patients with high-risk colorectal cancer, and it will be performed in the US, Germany, Spain, and Belgium. The colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer worldwide.

BioNTech’s mRNA-based vaccine against COVID-19 was the first to win authorization in the US and the EU, and it has been highly effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths from the disease.