Moderna and Merck announced on August 19 that their experimental personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, mRNA-4157/V940, has met its primary endpoints in the first-ever Phase 3 clinical trial for a cancer vaccine.
The vaccine, administered with Mercks immunotherapy Keytruda, significantly reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence and death compared to Keytruda alone. The combination reduced recurrence risk by approximately 49 percent.
This is a landmark moment for cancer treatment, said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel. The vaccine works by creating a personalized treatment for each patient. Tumor tissue is sequenced to identify up to 34 neoantigens unique to that patients cancer, and an mRNA strand encoding those antigens is manufactured and injected.
The Phase 3 trial enrolled over 1,000 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma. The implications extend beyond melanoma. The same platform could be applied to lung, bladder, and colorectal cancers. Full data are expected at an upcoming medical conference.
