Moderna's mRNA Melanoma Vaccine Shows Promise in Early Trial Results
A potential breakthrough in cancer treatment has been reported by Moderna and Merck & Co. The mRNA melanoma vaccine, Intismeran, was given to patients with high-risk melanoma after surgery and showed promise in slowing the return of skin cancer.
The vaccine works by alerting the immune system to mutated proteins found in tumors. It is tailored to each patient's cancer and can target up to 34 unique mutations. The personalized vaccine was given alongside Keytruda, an existing immunotherapy drug, which significantly increased the time patients remained cancer-free and reduced the risk of the disease spreading.
Cancer experts have called this a breakthrough, but emphasized caution as the full results have not been released or peer-reviewed. The companies said that taking the vaccine and Keytruda together could potentially open up new avenues for cancer treatment using mRNA technology.