A personalized cancer vaccine developed by Moderna and Merck showed encouraging early results in a late-stage melanoma trial, building on earlier data from the same treatment approach. The vaccine is designed to help the immune system recognize signals specific to a patient’s tumor alongside existing treatment.
The results are not a finished cure, and researchers will need to continue studying the treatment. Still, they point toward a future in which cancer care can become more precisely matched to the biology of each person’s disease.