Personalized mRNA vaccine lowers melanoma recurrence by 42%
What's the story
Pharmaceutical giants Merck and Moderna have announced a major breakthrough in the fight against melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Their personalized mRNA vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of death or recurrence by an impressive 42% in a late-stage clinical trial. This is a huge step forward for melanoma treatment and could revolutionize cancer therapies with mRNA vaccines and individualized treatments.
Vaccine details
The intismeran vaccine targets specific mutations in individual tumors
The personalized mRNA vaccine, known as intismeran (or mRNA-4157), employs synthetic mRNA that carries the unique genetic code for up to 34 mutations in a patient's own cancer cells.
The Phase 3 trial involved 1,137 patients with surgically removed stage IIB-IV melanoma.
They were randomly assigned to receive either a combination treatment of the personalized mRNA vaccine and Merck's established monoclonal antibody cancer treatment Keytruda or Keytruda alone.
Treatment effectiveness
Treatment significantly improved survival rates
The trial evaluated "recurrence-free survival" (RFS) and "distant metastasis-free survival" (DMFS).
After two years, participants who received the intismeran-Keytruda treatment had a 42% lower risk of recurrence or death compared to those who only got Keytruda and a placebo.
For distant metastasis-free survival, the intismeran-Keytruda treatment lowered the risk of distant metastasis or death by 38%.
At the end of the trial, 88.5% of those in this group were alive without distant spread compared to 80% in the Keytruda-placebo group.
Regulatory approval
mRNA technology could revolutionize cancer treatment
The results of the trial have been accepted for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine. Merck and Moderna are already in talks with regulatory authorities to get the vaccine approved.
"From the beginning, we believed mRNA technology could make it possible to develop cancer treatments uniquely matched to each patient's tumor," said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel.
He added that these results "reinforce our conviction that mRNA has the potential to fundamentally change how we treat cancer."