Key facts
- Personalised mRNA vaccine Intisomeran combined with Keytruda immunotherapy cut melanoma recurrence or death risk by 42% in a trial.
- The combination also reduced the risk of melanoma spreading by 38% over two years.
- The vaccine uses mRNA technology, similar to some Covid-19 vaccines, and is tailored to individual tumors.
- The trial involved 1,137 adult melanoma patients, with some receiving the vaccine and immunotherapy, and others a placebo with immunotherapy.
A major clinical trial has shown that a personalised cancer vaccine, when administered alongside an immunotherapy drug, significantly reduced the risk of melanoma returning or patients dying. The trial, involving over 1,100 patients, found a 42% decrease in recurrence or death and a 38% reduction in the spread of the skin cancer over two years. The experimental vaccine, Intisomeran, utilizes mRNA technology to train the immune system to target cancer cells based on individual tumor profiles. Researchers are optimistic about the findings, viewing them as a crucial proof of principle for personalized cancer treatments. Drugmakers MSD and Moderna are already exploring this approach for other cancers and are preparing to seek regulatory approval.