How Moderna's melanoma mRNA vaccine could fight deadliest skin cancer

Moderna is celebrating a "landmark moment" with its experimental melanoma vaccine, reporting that the treatment could significantly help prevent the deadly skin cancer from returning or spreading. This development marks a potential breakthrough in the fight against advanced-stage melanoma.

“

Cancer can put a cloak of invisibility around itself so the immune system can't see it, and the first punch is a drug called Keytruda, which removes the cloak.

The groundbreaking Phase 3 clinical trial involved over 1,100 participants whose melanoma had reached advanced stages. The vaccine's development is a highly personalized process. It begins with analyzing a piece of the patient's tumor to identify its unique mutations. Artificial intelligence then assists scientists in selecting the most critical mutations to include in the vaccine.

Working in tandem with Merck's cancer immunotherapy drug Keytruda, Moderna's mRNA vaccine delivers synthetic mRNA into the patient's cells. This combination therapy aims to overcome the cancer's defense mechanisms. Keytruda, described as the "first punch," helps remove the "cloak of invisibility" that cancer uses to hide from the immune system. The mRNA vaccine then acts as the "one-two punch," delivering instructions for the body to build a specific protein. This protein trains the immune system to recognize and attack melanoma cells, akin to giving a bloodhound a scent to hunt down its target.

“

Think of it like giving a scent to a bloodhound. The vaccine gives the immune system the scent of melanoma so the immune system can hunt it down and kill it.

Results from the trial, which is the final stage before potential FDA review, indicated that patients receiving the mRNA vaccine alongside Keytruda experienced a "statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement" in remaining cancer-free compared to those treated with Keytruda alone. Melanoma is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S., with an estimated 112,000 new cases annually and about 8,500 deaths projected this year. Following the announcement, Moderna's stock saw a significant increase, more than doubling on Wednesday morning.

“

a big win for mRNA vaccines against cancer.