Personalised cancer vaccine cuts melanoma relapse by 42% — SkimNews
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- MSD and Moderna developed Intismeran, a personalized mRNA vaccine, which cut the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 42% when combined with Keytruda in a trial of 1,137 patients
- Keytruda was given to all trial participants post-surgery, while about two-thirds also received the experimental vaccine, which uses tumor-specific mutations to train the immune system
- Intismeran uses mRNA technology similar to Covid vaccines and is tailored to each patient’s tumor genetics, representing a new frontier in personalized oncology
- Tony Chapman, a 75-year-old melanoma patient, participated in the trial and remains cancer-free three years after treatment, though he does not know if he received the vaccine or placebo
- Prof Pippa Corrie called the trial a 'proof of principle' for personalized cancer vaccines, highlighting the excitement around the technology while noting questions about long-term survival benefits
- Prof Alan Melcher described the results as 'very impressive' but cautioned that success in melanoma doesn’t guarantee effectiveness across other cancer types
- MSD and Moderna are engaging with regulators and may seek approval as early as next year, though NHS adoption will depend on cost and scalability of personalized manufacturing
Why it matters: Melanoma patients could soon access a treatment that slashes recurrence risk by nearly half, but widespread use hinges on whether health systems can afford custom vaccine production for each individual—a major logistical and financial challenge despite the clinical promise.
Ask SkimNews
