BioNTech facts for kids
BioNTech SE is a German biotechnology company. Biotechnology uses living things, like cells, to make new products. BioNTech works to create special treatments called immunotherapies for serious illnesses. These treatments help your body's own defense system (immune system) fight diseases.
The company studies medicines based on something called messenger RNA (mRNA). Think of mRNA as a set of instructions that tells your cells what to build. BioNTech uses these instructions to create:
- Special cancer treatments that teach your body to fight cancer cells.
- Vaccines to protect against infectious diseases, like the flu.
- Treatments for rare diseases where the body is missing important proteins.
In 2020, BioNTech became very well known. They worked with another company called Pfizer to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. This virus causes the disease COVID-19. By late 2020, they successfully created an RNA vaccine called BNT162b2. This vaccine was found to be 95% effective at preventing COVID-19.
On December 2, 2020, the United Kingdom was the first country to allow the use of the BNT162b2 vaccine. Soon after, in December 2020, the United States, Canada, and the European Union also approved the BioNTech vaccine for use.
Images for kids
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A vial of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
See also
In Spanish: BioNTech para niños
