Dramatic breakthrough in the war on cancer: the vaccine that has already passed a massive test

A personalized mRNA vaccine against melanoma has successfully completed a Phase 3 trial. The technology is now being tested against lung and pancreatic cancer. Researchers hope that in the future, a personalized vaccine could be produced for each patient within weeks.

A personalized mRNA vaccine against melanoma, a malignant skin cancer, has succeeded in a Phase 3 trial, marking a significant breakthrough in the fight against cancer. The technology, developed by Moderna in collaboration with Merck, is based on a principle similar to the COVID-19 vaccines but is tailored to each patient based on the unique mutations in their tumor. The trial showed that the vaccine, combined with immunotherapy, significantly reduced the risk of disease recurrence and death among high-risk melanoma patients. Following this success, similar trials have begun for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the US, and pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest with a five-year survival rate of only 13%. In an initial pancreatic cancer trial, the drug elicited an immune response in half of the participants, and seven of them remained alive four to six years after surgery. Researchers express cautious optimism and hope that in the future, a personalized vaccine could be produced for each patient within just a few weeks.