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Merck and Moderna's Cancer Vaccine Breakthrough in Melanoma Trial
A major breakthrough in cancer treatment has been announced by Merck and Moderna. Their experimental personalized cancer vaccine, called intismeran autogene, has passed a key clinical trial.
The therapy works by using a patient's own tumor to design an mRNA shot that trains the immune system to hunt down cancer cells sharing specific mutations.
In the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial, 1,137 patients worldwide received either Keytruda alone or Keytruda plus the personalized vaccine. The combination saw a statistically significant drop in cancer recurrence and fewer cases of the cancer spreading elsewhere in the body.
The results are being hailed as the first successful Phase 3 trial for this type of personalized cancer therapy globally.