mRNA Technology Gets a Boost from Melanoma Vaccine Breakthroughs

The mRNA technology behind Moderna and BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccines has faced its share of ups and downs. But recent clinical successes from Moderna and Merck in developing a personalized mRNA vaccine for melanoma have brought some much-needed stability to the field.

Ryan Sullivan, a Mass General Brigham melanoma physician and immunologist, believes that these developments could help change people's perceptions about vaccines. 'Maybe that will thaw some of the stigma around vaccines,' he said. 'I don't think it'll fix all of it, but maybe just a little bit helps us think of 'vaccine' not as a dirty word, 'mRNA' as not a four-letter word.'

mRNA technology allows scientists to instruct cells to construct any protein or protein pieces by rewriting the genetic code. This was one of the key factors in developing Covid vaccines in under a year, thanks in part to Operation Warp Speed.