Doctors have commenced a global and final trial involving hundreds of patients for the world’s first personalized mRNA cancer vaccine. The vaccine is developed for melanoma, a skin cancer that affects more than 100,000 people per year. The trial is led by University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The vaccine is named “mRNA-4157 ”. It is neoantigen therapy, which triggers the immune system that hunts a patient’s unique cancer type. When combined with an immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab , it reduces skin cancer mortality by 50%. One of the first ones to receive it is British Steve Young, 52, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire. “This is my best chance at stopping the cancer in its tracks,” he commented.it is unlikely there will ever be a single cure that works for everyone. Research like this must continue to be funded. In this way, more people with cancer can have personalized treatment options that can help them live longer.Dr.