Moderna-Merck Vaccine Reduces Melanoma Risk by 49% in Phase Three Trial

A breakthrough in cancer treatment has been announced by pharmaceutical giants Moderna and Merck. Their personalized vaccine, Intismeran Autogene, has shown promising results in reducing the risk of melanoma returning within five years after initial treatment.

The vaccine uses mRNA technology to train immune cells to recognize and eliminate melanoma based on a computer prediction of the likely surface markers it carries.

According to Dr. Stephen Schoenberger, translational immunologist at La Jolla Institute for Immunology, 'cancer vaccines require additional drugs called adjuvants in order to activate and start eliminating cancer cells.'

Intismeran Autogene uses pembrolizumab, a checkpoint inhibitor marketed as Keytruda, to address the evasive tactic of melanoma producing abundant 'checkpoint' proteins on their surfaces capable of turning off T-cells.