An experimental cancer vaccine using the same technology used in Covid vaccinations reduced the risk of tumor recurrence or death by 44 percent in clinical trials.
Pharmaceutical giants Merck and Moderna, which developed the shot, heralded the results as a “huge step forward” and a “new paradigm moment.”
The new vaccine was compared to those receiving only Keytruda immunotherapy in stage two clinical trials involving 150 high-risk melanoma patients.
Doctors will now “quickly” seek approval for a late-stage clinical trial before receiving approval to offer the vaccine to patients.
The scientists unveiled their work back in October and said the new vaccine could be ready in months.
The new shot – designed for people with high-risk melanoma – is in the second of three trials and a verdict on whether or not it works is expected within months. It uses mRNA technology, which takes bits of the genetic code from patients’ tumors into their cells and teaches the body to fight off the cancer. The vaccine is given to patients after surgery to prevent the tumor from coming back and it is tailored to each patient, meaning no two shots are the same
The new injection, designed for people with high-risk melanoma, uses mRNA technology, which uses pieces of the genetic code from patients’ tumors to teach the body to fight off cancer cells.
It is given to patients after surgery to prevent the tumor from coming back and is tailored specifically for each patient, so no two vaccinations are the same.
This means it can get very expensive. Similar cancer vaccines currently being tested cost around US$100,000 (£91,000) for each individual shot
How mRNA technology could cure cancer
For over a decade, cancer researchers have been working on individualized cancer vaccines using technologies such as mRNA.
Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is genetic material that tells the body how to make proteins.
The mRNA Covid vaccine teaches cells in the body how to make a protein that triggers an immune response.
The immune response creates antibodies so that when the body is later exposed to the real virus, it recognizes it and knows how to fight it off.
With a cancer vaccine, researchers aim to elicit an immune response to fight abnormal proteins called neoantigens made by cancer cells.
The vaccine manufacturing process begins with identifying the genetic mutations in a patient’s tumor cells that could release neoantigens.
The patient will have had the tumor surgically removed, meaning scientists can easily view the tumor cells.
Computer algorithms assess which neoantigens are most likely to attach to receptors on white blood cells and trigger an immune response.
The personalized vaccine can contain genetic sequences for up to 34 different neoantigens.
The mRNA vaccine is then supposed to activate white blood cells, which, thanks to the neoantigens of the cancer cells, can recognize individual cancer cells.
The vaccine will effectively teach the immune system that cancer cells are different from the rest of the body.
Hopefully this won’t be too difficult since neoantigens don’t form on normal cells.
After taking tissue samples from a patient, it takes between one and two months to produce a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine.
In a previous Moderna-sponsored study of a personalized cancer vaccine in patients with head and neck cancer, the biotech manufactured each personalized vaccine in about six weeks.
Due to the specialty of the vaccines, each can cost up to $100,000.
Source: National Cancer Institute, CDC
In the most recent phase 2 trial, 157 patients received the personalized vaccines along with Merck’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda.
All had stage 3 or 4 melanoma, the most dangerous types, and were treated after the tumors were surgically removed.
They were compared to a control group who also had high-risk melanoma but only received Keytruda immunotherapy.
The combination showed a statistically significant benefit compared to Keytruda alone after one year of treatment.
MRNA is leading the frontier of potential cancer cures after the technology accelerated rapidly during the pandemic, resulting in the two most successful Covid vaccines – made by Pfizer and Moderna.
These latest results further underscore its promise against cancer.
“This is a tremendous advance in immunotherapy,” said Eliav Barr, head of global clinical development and Merck’s chief medical officer, in an interview.
Paul Burton, Moderna’s chief medical officer, said in a separate interview that the combination “has the potential to be a new paradigm in the treatment of cancer.”
Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said: “Today’s results are extremely encouraging in the field of cancer treatment.
“MRNA was transformative for Covid and now, for the first time ever, we have shown the potential of mRNA to impact outcomes in a randomized clinical trial in melanoma.
‘We will begin additional studies in melanoma and other cancers with the goal of bringing truly individualized cancer treatments to patients.
“We look forward to publishing the full data set and sharing the results at an upcoming oncology medical conference and with health authorities.”
The companies are now trying to start Phase 3 trials “quickly” and expand the drug to other types of cancer.
Previous attempts at anti-cancer mRNA injections showed promise against head and neck cancer, but were not effective in colorectal cancer.
Within a year, Moderna was able to develop, test and seal its Covid shot.
His cancer vaccine uses DNA taken from each patient’s tumor.
This genetic snippet is then inserted into messenger RNA — the molecule that contains a cell’s instructions for making proteins.
Once in the body, the mRNA delivers this piece of code to human cells, teaching them to recognize cancer cells and attack them if they return.
The vaccine will be given in nine doses every three weeks, along with a series of Keytruda every three weeks.
With the Covid vaccine market expected to slow down in the near future, Moderna has turned its attention to non-Covid vaccines.
Merck and Moderna will share production and trading costs and profits when the cancer vaccine gets to market.
As part of the updated deal, Merck will pay Moderna $250 million for joint rights to the cancer vaccine.
The two drugmakers have been conducting trials of the shot together after forming a “strategic partnership” in 2016.
Merck and Moderna will share production and trading costs and share profits when it goes to market
The American Cancer Society says melanoma rates have increased significantly in recent years.
It is estimated that approximately 99,780 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States in 2022 (approximately 57,180 in men and 42,600 in women).
And about 7,650 people are expected to die from melanoma (about 5,080 men and 2,570 women).
You’re more than 20 times more likely to get melanoma if you’re white than if you’re African American.
The lifetime risk of developing melanoma is about 2.6 percent (one in 38) for whites, 0.1 percent (one in 1,000) for blacks, and 0.6 percent (one in 167) for Hispanics.
The cancer is more common in men, but before the age of 50 it is more common in women.
The older you are, the more melanoma risk you have.
The average age of diagnosis is 65 years, but is not uncommon even in those under 30 years of age.
It is one of the most common types of cancer in young adults, especially young women.
Melanoma occurs after the DNA in skin cells has been damaged (typically by harmful UV rays) and then left unrepaired, causing mutations that can form malignant tumors.
It is currently being treated in a number of ways.
The melanoma can be removed by removing the entire section of the tumor or by having the surgeon remove the skin layer by layer. Having a surgeon remove it layer by layer helps them figure out exactly where the cancer stops so they don’t have to remove more skin than necessary.
The patient may opt for a skin graft if the surgery has left a discoloration or dent.
Immunotherapy, radiation treatment, or chemotherapy may be needed if the cancer reaches stage III or IV.
This means that the cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes or other organs in the body.
Other studies of the cancer shot have shown that it is not effective in colorectal cancer patients, but it has shown promising results in head and neck cancer.
Of the first 10 participants, two had their tumors disappear completely and another five had their tumors shrink.
In 2010, the FDA approved Sipuleucel-T, a vaccine to treat prostate cancer that has been spreading.
But the treatment available to late-stage cancer patients doesn’t seem to shrink the tumors, giving men who get them just a few extra months to live.
Studies are now looking at whether the shot can be used in people with prostate cancer in earlier stages.
dr Stephen Hoge, President of Moderna, said: “We have been collaborating with Merck on personalized cancer vaccines (PCVs) since 2016 and together we have made significant progress advancing mRNA-4157 as an investigational personalized cancer treatment to be used in combination with Keytruda becomes.
‘With data on PCV expected this quarter, we remain excited about the future and the impact mRNA may have as a new treatment paradigm in cancer care. The continuation of our strategic alliance with Merck is an important milestone as we continue to grow our mRNA platform with promising clinical programs in multiple therapeutic areas.’