We do not yet have one vaccine that prevents or cures every cancer. But Moderna and Merck’s personalised mRNA treatment has shown encouraging success against high-risk melanoma after surgery. It is designed to prevent the disease from returning, rather than to remove an existing tumour.
Doctors study each patient’s tumour and prepare a special mRNA treatment using its mutations. It is then given with Keytruda to help the immune system recognise and attack any remaining cancer cells. In this way, the treatment is tailored to the unique genetic fingerprint of each person’s cancer.
This is important because earlier cancer vaccines often failed in human trials. However, detailed results are still awaited, and the treatment is not yet approved for routine use. The findings therefore offer strong hope, but not a licence to call it a universal cancer cure.
If future studies confirm longer survival, this method could be tested against lung, bladder and kidney cancers. Its cost and individual manufacturing may remain major challenges. The next test will be whether hospitals can produce these treatments quickly, safely and affordably.
PERSONALISED IMMUNITY MAY CHANGE THE FIGHT.
Sanjay Sahay
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