Pharma companies Merck and Moderna have announced that their personalised mRNA cancer vaccine, combined with the immunotherapy drug Keytruda, has cleared phase three human trials for melanoma. This marks the first time an individualised cancer vaccine built from a patient's own tumour mutations has succeeded at the final stage of testing. The vaccine works by training the immune system to recognise and target specific genetic markers, helping delay cancer recurrence and preventing its spread to other organs. The trial involved 1,137 high-risk melanoma patients across stages two B to four. Moderna's chief executive officer highlighted the development as a major breakthrough, noting that mRNA technology could potentially be adapted for other cancers, including lung, kidney, and bladder cancer.
