A personalised mRNA vaccine cut melanoma's return by 42% in a landmark Phase 3 trial

For people who have had high-risk melanoma removed, the fear is that the cancer will come back. Merck and Moderna have now reported the first positive Phase 3 trial of a personalised cancer vaccine: intismeran autogene, built from a patient's own tumour sample to encode up to 34 markers unique to their cancer, was paired with the immunotherapy KEYTRUDA. The combination reduced the risk of the cancer returning or of death by 42% compared with KEYTRUDA alone, and cut the risk of distant spread or death by 38%, with no new safety concerns. It is the first positive late-stage trial both for a personalised neoantigen therapy and for an mRNA-based cancer therapy in melanoma — proof, researchers say, that vaccines tailored to one person's tumour can work, and a template now being tested in lung, bladder and kidney cancers.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation