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Since the publication of COVID-19Research about mRNA have developed a lot. THE mRNA vaccines been a success, Moderna and BioNTechthe companies behind it tried to apply the technology Treating other diseases such as cancer.
That’s why Moderna developed one Medicine called mRNA-4157 (V940) used to treat skin cancer. And Phase 2b clinical trial was carried out on 157 patients who suffered from it Stage III/IV melanoma placed at high risk to test the effectiveness of the drug.
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This is evident from the results recently announced by Modernathe combination of the drug with immunotherapy would significantly reduce the risks of recurrences, metastases and death compared to currently existing treatments.
Also read: Medical experts confirm the reliability of AI in diagnosing skin cancer!
Promising results
Moderna’s new drug is a individualized neoantigen therapy. According to the explanations, it is one individual treatment for each patient. By studying the unique mutation signature of the DNA sequence of patient tumors, researchers can do this develop an mRNA able to encode a specific cocktail of 34 neoantigens. This makes it possible to target the patient’s cancer more specifically by training their immune system to fight it.
During the clinical trial, scientists surgically removed participants’ tumors. After the operation they were divided into two groups. The first group took part a combination of mRNA-4157 (V940) and KEYTRUDA (an immunotherapy drug) and the second group took only KEYTRUDA. The patients were followed for approximately three years.
At the end of the study, researchers found that participants who received both drugs saw their risk of cancer recurrence or death was reduced by 49%, compared to the group that received KEYTRUDA alone. They also observed a 62 percent reduction in their risk of distant metastasis or death.
As for the side effects, they turned out to be more or less similar in both groups. According to the information, this was 25% of the combination treatment participants and 20% of the KEYTRUDA group. These side effects generally included pain at the injection site, fatigue, and chills.
Towards the introduction of a new treatment for skin cancer
After the publication of the results of the phase 2b clinical trial US FDA denotes the association of mRNA-4157 (V940) and KEYTRUDA from “Breakthrough Therapy”. On the other hand, l’European Medicines Agency integrated therapy into the program PRIME or Priority Medicines for the treatment of high-risk melanomas.
A phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of early-stage melanoma is currently underway. At the same time, the researchers will continue the phase 2b study. There will also be another phase 3 study to test whether the combination treatment is effective against lung cancer. In the future, the team hopes to expand the program to other types of cancer.
SOURCE: New Atlas
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