Follow-up – WAA
A vaccine that aims to train the body to recognize and fight cancer cells has shown promise in stimulating the immune system to better deal with the disease, preliminary trial results have revealed..
The vaccine, known as mRNA-4359 Which is currently being developed by Moderna for patients with advanced melanoma, lung cancer and other solid tumor cancers..
It is designed to prepare the body to recognize and fight cancer cells and has been shown to stimulate the immune system to help treat the disease more effectively, according to the results of an early trial..
In the first human trials of the treatment, 19 patients with advanced solid tumors were given between one and nine doses of mRNA-4359.
The researchers found that tumors did not grow and no new tumors appeared in eight of the 16 patients evaluated..
They also said the treatment was “well tolerated without serious side effects.”“.
The team involved in the trials hailed the development as an “important first step” towards shaping a new treatment for people with advanced cancer..
The vaccine uses messenger RNA technology.” (mRNA)similar to COVID-19 vaccines, which teach the immune system how cancer cells differ from healthy cells and mobilize it to destroy them..
The results will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference in Barcelona by lead researcher Dr Debashis Sarkar, a clinical reader in experimental oncology at King’s College London and consultant in medical oncology at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. NHS Foundation trust.
He said: “This study, which evaluates cancer immunotherapy using mRNA This is an important first step in developing a new treatment for patients with advanced cancers. We have shown that the treatment is well tolerated without serious side effects and can stimulate the body’s immune system in a way that could help treat cancer more effectively. However, because this study has only included a small number of patients so far, it is too early to say how effective this will be for people with advanced cancer.“.
The study is currently enrolling patients with certain types of cancer, namely melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer, to receive low doses of mRNA-4359 with pembrolizumalso known as Keytruda.
Dr Sarkar described this as “a massive international effort across the UK, the US, Spain and Australia.“.
“We are encouraged by the Phase 1 results of the trial,” said Kyle Holen, senior vice president of health, development, therapeutics and oncology at Moderna. mRNA-4359which has demonstrated the ability to elicit robust antigen-specific T-cell responses while maintaining a manageable safety profile, and this new approach may be key to shifting the tumor environment toward a more immune-tolerant state, offering potential hope for patients with advanced solid tumors.“.
Source: Agencies