The first vaccine against skin cancer began to be tested this Friday (26), in the United Kingdom. The vaccine, developed by Moderna in conjunction with MSD, is in the third phase of testing seeking approval from health regulatory agencies. The study is led by University College London Hospitals.
According to the Ministry of Health, skin cancer is the most common in Brazil. The disease represents 30% of all malignant tumors diagnosed in the country. However, melanomas – the most serious type of skin cancer – account for only 4% of the disease’s diagnoses. Worldwide, melanoma affects around 132,000 people per year.
According to the English newspaper The Guardian, doctors participating in the study are excited about the vaccine’s potential to permanently cure skin cancer, especially in patients with melanoma. The vaccine is developed with mRNA technology, the same used in the preparation of vaccines against Covid-19.
The vaccine is adapted to each patient’s cells and instructs the body to hunt cancer cells to prevent the disease from returning. In addition to treating melanoma, the vaccine is being tested on other types of cancer, such as lung, kidney and bladder cancer.
Dr. Heather Shaw, study coordinator, says the vaccine is designed to activate the immune system so it can fight a patient’s specific type of cancer and tumor. “This is one of the most exciting things we have seen in a long time. This is a really improved tool. Patients are really excited,” she said.
How does the vaccine work?
The vaccine, called mRNA-4157 (V940), aims to attack neoantigens, present on the surfaces of tumors, in a given patient. These tumor markers can be recognized by the immune system.
The immunizer then carries the coding for up to 34 neoantigens and activates an immune response against these tumors. To personalize the substance for each patient, scientists take a sample of the tumor during surgery and sequence the DNA, with the help of artificial intelligence. The result is like an injection against cancer, specific to a given patient’s tumor.
“It’s absolutely personalized to the patient – you can’t give it to the next patient in line because it doesn’t work,” Shaw explained.
Vaccine cuts chances of death by half
During the second phase of testing, scientists observed that patients with severe melanoma had a 49% lower chance of dying or having their cancer regress within three years, compared to those who received immunotherapy treatment alone. Patients received 1 mg of the vaccine every three weeks, with a maximum of nine doses.
Now, the third phase of testing will involve around 1,100 people. In the United Kingdom, at least 60 or 70 patients must receive the vaccine.
One of the first patients is Steve Young, 52, who was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma, which was removed.
“I feel lucky to be part of this clinical trial. Of course, I didn’t feel so lucky when I was diagnosed with skin cancer; It was actually quite a shock, but now that I’ve had treatment, I’m eager to make sure it doesn’t happen again. This is my best chance of stopping cancer,” Steve tells University College London Hospitals.
