The UK drugmaker AstraZeneca has joined hands with scientists at Imperial College London to develop a new vaccine technology to treat cancer, heart conditions and other non-infectious diseases and illnesses. The technology was originally aimed for targeting Covid-19, and works by delivering genetic material called self-amplifying RNA to human cells. The cells are then trained to recognise and respond to infection, The Independent reported.

"We have clinical data that is good for the technology but it needs to be improved on," Prof Professor Robin Shattock, an immunologist at Imperial, was quoted as saying. Imperial scientists had aimed to use the technology to design a Covid-19 jab. However, it never progressed further than stage two clinical testing.

"AstraZeneca wants to take our approach and advance it. They see the potential of the platform." Besides creating a protective layer of antibodies and T-cells against the spike protein structure found on the surface of SARS-CoV-2, the unique platform uses self-amplifying RNA to also make copies of itself once injected into humans, generating more of the original message.

The team hopes the same technique can be used to teach the body to identify other foreign threats or internal malfunctions, such as cancer, and then neutralise them via trained immunological cells. The agreement with AstraZeneca will support the Imperial team with research and development funding for up to 26 different drug targets, the report said.

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