You can also add to your health journal encourading news about advances in the skin cancer management. Here are some of them:
New drug combination fights resistant melanoma
Vanderbilt University scientists led by Professor Anna Richmond in 2026 presented the results of preclinical trials of three drugs in models of resistant melanoma tumors. Combination therapy with trametinib, rigosertib and a CD40 agonist proved highly effective, restoring sensitivity and slowing cancer progression. This treatment is intended to replace currently used immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, which, despite its high efficacy, can fail due to the development of resistance. The authors see great potential for this new approach in clinical practice, particularly for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, which very often develops resistance to standard immunotherapy. They expect to conduct pilot clinical trials in the near future given the availability of data on the safety of the drugs for the human body.
Moderna and Merck published promising results from their RNA vaccine trials against melanoma
Moderna and Merck in 2024 published results of the second phase of clinical trials of Moderna's personalized skin cancer vaccine in combination with Merck's Keytruda. According to the published data, the survival rate of patients receiving the treatment was 96%. Nearly 75% of the subjects not only remained alive, but also did not experience a recurrence of cancer symptoms within 2.5 years. The vaccine, which uses the same mRNA technology as Moderna's coronavirus vaccine, is custom-made based on analysis of a patient's tumors after they are removed. The vaccine trains the immune system to recognize and attack specific mutations in cancer cells. The FDA has granted the two-drug combination breakthrough therapy status for melanoma. Moderna shares rose nearly 4% in Monday trading, while Merck shares rose just over 1%.
Moderna and Merck improved melanoma survival by 44%
Joint clinical trials of a new drug against melanoma (mRNA-4157/V940), which are being conducted by (American) Merck and Moderna, have yielded excellent interim results, after the publication of which Moderna shares jumped in price by 8%. In a Phase 2 trial, the new drug was used in combination with the well-known drug Keytruda (Merck) on 157 patients with stage 3 and 4 melanoma and was able to increase survival by 44% compared to Keytruda alone. The drug is an RNA vaccine that trains immune cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells. The companies are now planning a Phase 3 trial.
BioNTech started testing RNA vaccine for melanoma
Buoyed by the success of their RNA COVID vaccine, BioNTech's husband-and-wife team, Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, decided to use their technology to treat melanoma. Recently, human clinical trials of their cancer vaccine began. It uses the same mRNA technology to prime the human immune system to fight cancer. Preclinical trials have shown the vaccine to be quite safe, and BioNTech now plans to measure how well the vaccine, in combination with the drug Libtayo, works in treating severe cases of skin cancer.
Cancer vaccine has stopped the development of melanoma for years.
Unlike conventional vaccines that prevent infections, cancer vaccines are a type of immunotherapy that teach immune T cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells. One such vaccine was created in 2021 by researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute, led by Katerina Wu. It helps T cells notice specific proteins on melanoma cells and effectively fight them. In trials, the scientists found that immune cells continue to "remember" these proteins for at least four years after vaccination. Eight participants received the vaccine for four months after surgery, and then the team collected data for several years afterward. All patients experienced only mild side effects: weakness and mild malaise.
Nanoparticles for delivering RNA vaccines helped stop melanoma
Reprogramming immune cells with RNA vaccines is a promising approach to cancer treatment. However, the main challenge with this method is the difficulty of delivering the RNA molecule to the target cells within the body. Professor Daniel Anderson of MIT in 2019 figured out how to create nanoparticles for delivering RNA. He synthesized thousands of nanoparticles from lipids (fatty acids) and selected those with the desired chemical properties, in particular, a cyclic structure at the tip of the nanoparticles, which appears to activate the stimulator of the interferon gene signaling pathway (STING). When activated, STING causes immune cells to produce cytokines, which induce T cells to destroy cancer cells. Daniel tested his delivery system on mice with melanoma and succeeded in stopping tumor growth.