Moderna’s mRNA cancer vaccine trial is ‘big step forward,’ Cambridge biotech’s stock surges 25%

Moderna’s mRNA cancer vaccine combined with a Merck treatment immunotherapy slashed the risk of melanoma coming back, according to new “highly encouraging” trial results that could help revolutionize cancer treatment.

The Cambridge-based biotech, which has been known for its COVID vaccines, on Tuesday announced groundbreaking data that shows the potential of mRNA-based personalized cancer vaccines.

In this phase 2 trial involving patients with high-risk, stage 3 or 4 melanoma who previously had surgery, the combo of Moderna’s cancer vaccine with Merck’s Keytruda cut the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 44% compared with just the immunotherapy. Keytruda is FDA-approved, and is the standard of care.

Patrick Ott, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Melanoma Center, called this “really amazing data” and “great news for patients.”

“Seeing this kind of data in this randomized setting is a first for the cancer vaccine field,” Ott told the Herald on Tuesday.

“This is demonstrating that the vaccine really adds something to the standard of care,” he later added. “A 44% risk reduction is not a small difference. That is certainly a meaningful difference for patients.”

Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing cells. The rates of melanoma have been rising over the past few decades, with nearly 325,000 new cases diagnosed worldwide in 2020.

In the U.S., skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed, and melanoma accounts for a large majority of skin cancer deaths. There will be nearly 100,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed and almost 8,000 deaths resulting from the disease in the U.S. this year, according to estimates.

Now, the sky’s the limit for these vaccines, which could potentially treat other types of cancer.

“For the cancer vaccine, this is a big step forward,” Ott said.