Moderna’s cancer vaccine has obtained good results in preliminary tests, since combined with Keytruda, a drug to treat cancer from the pharmaceutical company MSD (Merck), it has helped prevent the reappearance of melanomas in patients who had undergone surgery before this aggressive skin cancer. In a joint statement, these companies affirm that the administration of the messenger RNA vaccine together with Keytruda reduced the risk of these patients to suffer a recurrence of the disease or die from it by 44% compared to the medicine alone.
“Today’s results are very encouraging for the field of cancer treatment”, highlighted in the note Stéphane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna, who announced that the company will carry out a larger study to confirm these data and with other trials on melanomas and different types of cancer, as reported by Efe. Moderna and MSD have announced that they will discuss the results with regulatory authorities and that they intend to begin a phase III study in 2023 with melanoma patients.
Personalize cancer treatments
The vaccine has been developed based on messenger RNA technology already used by Moderna and Pfizer to develop the vaccine against COVID-19, and according to the pharmaceutical company it can be used to create personalized cancer treatments. In clinical trials where it has been tested, it has been combined with the drug Keytruda. In these studies 157 patients have participated, and 14.4% of them have experienced serious adverse events related to the combination treatment, which has occurred in 10% of those who only received Keytruda.
The vaccine is based on messenger RNA technology used against COVID-19, and according to Moderna it can be used to create personalized cancer treatments.
“The important thing about this news is the potential that this therapy has, the possibility of personalizing vaccines directed at specific alterations in the patient. What is interesting is the concept: a personalized vaccine. They introduce 34 alterations that these patients may have (neoepitopes) and this is combined with immunomodulators. The answers are interesting: the possibility of recurrence or death is reduced by 44%”, explained Marisol Soengas, head of the Melanoma Group of the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) in statements to Science Media Center Spain.
The specialist adds that “the idea is to personalize vaccines, especially in melanoma patients, whose tumors acquire many mutations. It is the tumor with the highest mutational index and sometimes has so many alterations that it is difficult to develop a personalized therapy”. “This is a prevention trial in patients who have had their tumor removed and who have also begun to be treated in conditions in which no metastases are observed in lymph nodes, viscera, or the brain — an attempt is made to intervene earlier in patients who do not they have metastasized yet, but are at risk. It is a very important body of patients, but selected. The choice makes sense because melanoma patients respond relatively well to immunotherapy.”
Regarding the limitations of the study, the researcher highlights “the lack of knowledge of the trial per se, because it has not been published. Also that it is a very particular group of patients: at risk of developing metastases after surgery. It has not given them time either, it is only a year of follow-up, 44% is very important, but they will have to continue over time. And also look at more advanced patients.”
.
