New Cancer Vaccine Offers Hope: Early Trials Of mRNA Vaccine Show Encouraging Results

A groundbreaking vaccine against cancer cells has given encouraging early results from its first clinical trials, according to The Metro. Developed by Moderna Pharmaceuticals-the same company that made headlines with its Covid-19 vaccine-the jab, known as mRNA-4359, is designed to activate the body’s immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells.

Uses mRNA technology, such as that employed by Covid-19 vaccines, to instruct the immune system to recognise healthy cells versus tumour cells. In a phase-one clinical trial involving 19 patients with advanced solid tumours, it was observed that eight patients had no growth of the tumours and no new tumours appeared. Importantly, the vaccine was found to be well tolerated, without any serious adverse effects.

Chief investigator Dr Debashis Sarker, a clinical reader in experimental oncology at King’s College London and a consultant in medical oncology at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, told The Metro: “This study evaluating an mRNA cancer immunotherapy is an important first step in hopefully developing a new treatment for patients with advanced cancers. We have shown that the therapy is well tolerated without serious side effects and can stimulate the body’s immune system in a way that could help to treat cancer more effectively.”

“However, as this study has only involved a small number of patients to date, it’s too early to say how effective this could be for people with advanced stage cancer.”

Now the study is enrolling patients with specific cancers, namely melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer.

Among such studies, the mRNA-4359 trial is one of the studies being conducted exploring the likelihood of cancer vaccines. Others include a personalised mRNA vaccine for melanoma by Moderna and a lung cancer vaccine under test by BioNTech. These vaccines are major breakthroughs in treating cancer, offering the first rays of hope for patients in advanced stages of cancer.