An important trial of the world’s first „personalized” mRNA vaccine against melanoma is now under way in the UK.
As the name would suggest, the jab, mRNA-4157 (V940), uses the same technology as current Covid vaccines and is being tested in final-stage Phase III trials.
University College London Hospitals (UCLH) doctors are giving it alongside another drug, pembrolizumab/Keytruda, that also helps the immune system kill cancer cells.
The combined treatment, made by Moderna and Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD), is not yet available routinely on the NHS, outside of clinical trials.
THe vaccine, administrated together with the immunotherapy, is designed to trigger the immune system so it can fight back against a patient’s specific type of cancer and tumour.
The “personalized” is created to match the unique genetic signature of the patient’s own tumour and works by instructing the body to make proteins or antibodies that attack markers or antigens found only on those cancer cells.
A phase 2 trial found the vaccines dramatically reduced the risk of the cancer returning in melanoma patients. Now a final, phase 3, trial has been launched and is being led by University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH).
It is being tested on lung, bladder and kidney tumors as well.
Common signs of melanoma to watch out for include:
- a new abnormal mole
- an existing mole that seems to be growing or changing
- a change to a previous patch of normal skin
Individuals should have these seen by a doctor as soon as possible, to avoid having to undergo general cancer treatment.
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