An mRNA vaccine against melanoma has been tested by Moderna in combination with an immunotherapy drug, and the results are surprising: next year it could hit the market, and be tested to fight other types of tumors as well.
RNA technology has been made “popular” thanks to the anti-covid vaccines, and is also starting to be tested in a concrete way against tumors: a experimental mRNA vaccine – where “m” stands for “messenger” – of Modern against the tumor has been tested together with Keytruda immunotherapy from Merck and has given more than encouraging results against the melanoma. The goal is to continue with experimentation to arrive at having one first vaccine against melanoma already in 2023and also test it against other forms of cancer: Stephan Bancelmanaging director of Moderna, declared himself optimistic.
Tests on patients with melanoma
I’m 157 i patients who lent themselves to experimentationand all had already undergone unsuccessful surgeries, to cure stage III or IV melanomas: the most severe form of skin cancer see a rate of 60% survival in stage III and 16% in stage IV, terrible percentages for a disease that for this very reason requires a great effort from the medical-scientific community to find effective treatments. Some of the 157 patients were given nine doses of Moderna’s cancer vaccine together with immunotherapy drug every three weeks for a year, while others were only prescribed immunotherapy, without the vaccine. The results were surprising, because in patients who underwent the vaccine it is reduced the risk of recurrence or death.
Mortality reduced by almost 50%: is a vaccine on the way?
Experimental results have shown that immunotherapy combined with the Moderna vaccine ha reduced the risk of relapse or mortality by 44% compared to immunotherapy alone. This success has made it possible to kick off phase 3 of the tests, which will be decisive and will have to gain approval from the regulatory agencies: the start is scheduled for next year, and Moderna’s CEO stated that as early as 2023, a first vaccine against melanoma could really arrive.
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“A new era in the fight against cancer”
Moderna CEO Stephan Bancel said that “we have entered a new era in the fight against cancer he was born in melanoma in particular”. In commenting on the results of the trial of the vaccine associated with immunotherapy, he declared that “these results are a lot encouraging on the front of treatment of tumors” and that the key to success lies precisely in the mRNA: “mRNA has marked a turning point for covid 19 and now, for the first time ever, we have demonstrated the potential of the same technology with the results of the new clinical study on melanoma”.
Extended vaccine against other cancers
Studies do not stop, and Moderna intends to continue on this path to carry on the search for a vaccine against melanoma and other types of tumors: “We will start further studies on the melanoma come on other forms of cancer with the aim of proposing to patients anticancer treatments truly customized”. The result fully satisfies the team who are eager to “publish the complete data set and share the results at an upcoming oncology medical conference, as well as with health authorities”.
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We just have to keep going support researchin the hope that the big steps taken can finally lead to treatmentor even more to a solution for to prevent a terrible disease that affects more and more people: the managing director of Moderna, with ambition but aware of the limits of his statement, hopes that within 5 years mRNA technology will have a huge impact on many types of cancer. And we hope so too.