BioNTech founders launch new biotech company after COVID vaccine success

The founders of German vaccine manufacturer BioNTech, which became known globally thanks to its COVID-19 vaccine, have announced that they plan to step down from the company's management to launch a new biotechnology project. According to information provided by the company and cited by the DPA agency, the two founders - Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci - will leave the company at the latest by the end of 2026, when their employment contracts expire. After stepping down from BioNTech's management, the two researchers plan to launch a new biotech company that will develop the next generation of medicines based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Even though they will leave their executive positions, Sahin and Tureci will remain involved in the company they founded. They currently own about 15% of BioNTech's shares and will remain shareholders in the company. BioNTech is headquartered in the German city of Mainz and is considered one of Europe's leading biotechnology companies.

• From cancer research to COVID vaccine

The company was founded in 2008 with the goal of developing innovative cancer therapies based on messenger RNA. During the COVID-19 pandemic, BioNTech quickly redirected its resources to developing a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. In collaboration with its American partner Pfizer, the German company managed to develop one of the first effective vaccines against the virus. The vaccine developed by the two companies was the first COVID vaccine authorized in the West, which transformed BioNTech into a major player in the global pharmaceutical industry. The commercial success was huge: the company generated billions of euros from vaccine sales, and the reputation of its founders grew spectacularly internationally.

For their contribution to combating the pandemic, Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci have received numerous awards and distinctions. In 2021, the two researchers were decorated with the Grand Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, one of the country's highest civilian awards.

• Returning to oncology research after the pandemic

After the acute phase of the pandemic ended, BioNTech's revenues and profits fell significantly. Although the company continues to produce vaccines against COVID-19, its strategy has reoriented towards its original goal: the development of oncology therapies based on messenger RNA. The company is currently conducting several advanced clinical trials for cancer treatments, and its plans include submitting several applications for authorization for such therapies by 2030. The founders' decision to create a new company could mark the beginning of a new phase in the development of messenger RNA-based drugs, a technology that has already shown enormous potential during the pandemic. If this research is successful, mRNA technology could become one of the most important medical platforms of the 21st century, not only for vaccines, but also for treating cancer, genetic diseases and other complex conditions.

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