Personalized mRNA vaccine for melanoma cut risk of cancer’s return in late-stage trial

Key Points:

• A personalized mRNA vaccine called intismeran, developed by Moderna and Merck, reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence and death by 42% compared to standard treatment in a late-stage clinical trial involving 1,137 Stage 3 melanoma patients.
• The vaccine is tailored to each patient using genomic data from their tumor, training the immune system to recognize and target cancer-specific neoantigens, and was administered alongside Merck’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda.
• Two years after treatment, 82% of patients receiving both the vaccine and Keytruda had no cancer recurrence, compared to 70% of those receiving Keytruda plus placebo, marking a significant improvement in preventing melanoma’s return.
• Side effects were mild, similar to those of Covid vaccines, and experts highlight the vaccine’s potential as a major breakthrough in cancer vaccines, though questions remain about scalability and long-term benefits.
• Researchers plan further studies in advanced melanoma and other cancers, viewing these results as an important proof of concept that could eventually lead to cancer prevention vaccines in the future.