Scientists hopeful of curing cancer after trial of personal mRNA vaccine for melanoma

Doctors are testing the world’s first personalized mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma in hundreds of patients, which could potentially cure cancer permanently, the Guardian reported yesterday.

According to the article, the vaccine is designed to target specific cancer cells and prevent the disease from returning, noting that initial trials have shown promising results, and a final trial is underway.

The vaccine, known as mRNA-4157 (V940), triggers the immune system to fight against the patient’s specific type of cancer, the development team said, adding that it carries coding for up to 34 neoantigens and activates an anti-tumour immune response based on the unique mutations in a patient’s cancer.

The doctors say the personalized vaccine “is very much an individualised therapy and it’s far cleverer in some senses than a vaccine,” promising it is absolutely custom-built for the patient.

The ultimate aim of the project is to permanently cure patients of their cancer. The developing team of the vaccines believe there is “a real hope that these will be the gamechangers in immunotherapy”.