MODERNA, MERCK UNVEIL MRNA-BASED CANCER VACCINE: HOW WELL DOES IT CUT SPREAD?

Fri 21 August 2026:

Moderna and Merck announced that their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine Intismeran cut the risk of melanoma recurrence and metastasis in a late-stage trial.

The breakthrough in this emerging area of cancer therapy drove Moderna’s shares up by as much as 160 percent.

Interim results of the study released on Wednesday found that the treatment met both goals of reducing cancer recurrence and preventing the spread of tumours. Detailed results of the study have not been released but are expected to be shared at an upcoming medical meeting, according to the drugmaker.

Moderna President Stephen Hoge said thousands of patients who have had high-risk melanoma tumours removed in surgery could benefit by next year if the vaccine is approved by regulators. According to the National Cancer Institute, there were more than 1.5 million people in the US living with melanoma in 2023.

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Developed alongside pharmaceutical giant Merck, Moderna tested the vaccine with immunotherapy drug Keytruda.

The experimental vaccine trains the patient’s immune system to fight tumours by targeting mutations in cancer cells. Similar approaches are being tested to combat other cancers such as lung, breast and pancreatic cancers.

Previous studies have suggested that mRNA vaccines could help immune systems recognise and attack cancer cells in mice and in analyses of medical records of cancer patients. Findings from the studies came at a time when the administration of United States President Donald Trump cut funding for mRNA research.

The development is the first positive late-stage trial result for an mRNA cancer vaccine. Merck said the companies are already in talks ⁠with regulators about the treatment.

Karen Knudsen, CEO of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, said the Moderna results could signal a new era for treating solid-tumour cancers.

“The positive hit here leads us into truly this next phase in immunotherapy,” Knudsen said. “This is an auspicious start – this is where things begin.”

Merck and Moderna have been working on the melanoma vaccine for about a decade. It’s designed to train the immune system to identify and kill cancer cells. The vaccine targets abnormal proteins called neoantigens that appear on the surface of cancer cells. It can be personalized to individual patients using genetic material from their tumors, which researchers hope will lead to more durable immune responses compared to other melanoma treatments.

Dr. Janice Mehnert, the senior investigator of the smaller trial whose results were published in June, said developing a particular patient’s individualized shot takes several weeks.

Melanoma is an ideal target for a vaccine, she said, because it’s “exquisitely vulnerable to the immune system, more so than other cancers.” Mehnert directs the melanoma medical oncology program at NYU Langone Health.

“I’m just excited to see science win on this one,” she said. “The idea of this incredibly novel, innovative idea actually panning out after years of work and literally over 1,000 patients is above and beyond what I would have liked to see.”

Moderna shares soared as much as 147% in Wednesday trading. Merck shares were up about 13%.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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