A new experimental treatment for Melanoma, one of the deadliest variants of skin cancer, could be available in a matter of years. At the helm of the project is Moderna, a Cambridge-based biotech company well-known for its Covid-19 vaccine.
The vaccine, known as mRNA-4157, is created using Moderna’s mRNA technology to develop a custom-built vaccine to separate patients based on the analysis of a removed tumor. According to CBS News, the vaccine can train the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells throughout the body.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told AFP his company’s experimental vaccine against melanoma could be available in as little as two years, in what would amount to a landmark step against the most serious form of skin cancer.
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. However, patients in the later stages of the disease may soon have another treatment option involving technology that was used for COVID-19 vaccines.
A recent study last Thursday proved some success for the drug after it was found to increase survivability in a group of 157 patients when it was given alongside the immunotherapy drug Keytruda.
According to ScienceAlert Both the FDA and similar European agencies have put the vaccine on an accelerated path for review. In a recent interview, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told AFP that the vaccine could be available in just two years in certain countries under “accelerated approval.” That said, a conclusion on this vaccine is ways away.
