Human Trials Begin for Personalized mRNA Melanoma Jabs

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Facts

  • The University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) has begun human trials for an mRNA vaccine for the skin cancer melanoma, which impacts around 132K around the world annually.1
  • The vaccine, which uses the same technology as some of the COVID vaccines, is made by Moderna, as well as Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD). It's personalized, meaning it's built to target only the specific genetic makeup of an individual's tumor.2
  • The jab, called mRNA-4157, carries the coding for up to 34 neoantigens that activate anti-tumor immune responses. It's personalized by taking a piece of a tumor during surgery and using artificial intelligence (AI) to sequence the DNA.1
  • This follows phase two trials that found a 49% decrease in death and chances of cancer returning after three years when using both the vaccine and the drug Keytruda. This was in comparison to those who only used Keytruda.2
  • Phase three seeks to study 1.1K patients globally, including 60-70 in the UK. Patients will receive the 1 mg doses of the vaccine every three weeks for a maximum of nine doses, as well as 200 mg of Keytruda every three weeks for about a year — for up to 18 doses.1
  • Dr. Heather Shaw, the national leader of the trials, said the vaccines are also being tested for lung, bladder, and kidney cancers.3

Sources: 1Guardian, 2BBC News and 3Evening Standard.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Cancer Research UK. This groundbreaking news out of the UK shows that mRNA technology can be used to prevent several types of deadly cancers. Scientists have gotten this far with very little funding, so imagine the benefits if they received a major boost in their funding to help move these treatments into the global medical market.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Daily Mail. Questions surrounding the need for immense amounts of funding should prompt further questions about how people will afford these mRNA vaccines once they're on the market. According to sources close to the research, these trials have cost £400K ($500K) per patient. Cancer research is incredibly important, but so is making medicine affordable.

Predictions