STAT+: After a cancer vaccine’s first success, the race is on to expand the impact
After 100 years, there's finally an effective cancer vaccine. Now comes the push to get them to work in more tumor types.
Madrid — Following the unveiling of the first pivotal trial showcasing a customized mRNA treatment that improved cancer patients' outcomes, the focus has already shifted towards how melanoma experts should integrate the medicine and its potential for broader application. James Larkin, a scientific co-chair from London's Royal Marsden Hospital, remarked at an opening press conference at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting that "in principle, this approach may be applicable to other types of tumors."
The Merck and Moderna trial revealed that the personalized mRNA-based vaccine intismeran decreased the risk of recurrence or death by 42% when used in conjunction with Merck's checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda compared to Keytruda alone. This achievement marks a significant breakthrough for the field, coming after a prolonged and challenging history of attempting to develop cancer vaccines that, until now, had largely amounted to 100 years of failure. To learn more, continue to STAT+.
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