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Groundbreaking new melanoma jab uses ‘artificial intelligence’ to personalize each cancer vaccine
The worlds first personalized mRNA cancer immunotherapy for melanoma the most serious form of skin cancer is underway in London.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 100,000 new melanomas are diagnosed per year in the US. Around 8,000 Americans die of melanoma every year. However, rates are falling.
Artificial intelligence put to work on groundbreaking new melanoma jab
Medical journal The Lancet recently published the results of a study into the use of mRNA-based technology to help treat melanoma patients.
Moderna, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD), based in New Jersey, are the pharmaceutical giants developing the treatment.
Regular immunotherapy is tailored to the genetic structure of a patients tumor.
The difference between this form of treatment and other types of immunotherapy is that it uses artificial intelligence to custom-build a therapeutic model that is specific to each tumor. As part of the therapy, a surgeon removes a sample from the patients tumor, sequences its DNA, and applies the AI on top of this.
Novel skin cancer treatment sees 49% reduction in risk of recurrence or death
The international trial of this new, personalized form of mRNA cancer immunotherapy has been taking place at University College London Hospital (UCLH).
The Lancet published the results of its second phase in February 2024. Phase 3 is now underway, but the trial has already produced stunning results.
So far, the team running the trial have measured a 49% drop in the risk of recurrence �i.e., the cancer coming back �or death after three years. Thats compared with the standard treatment for melanoma.�
The National Institute for Health and Care Research, a British government-funded research institute, is underpinning the work.
Not all risk factors for melanoma, skin cancer are controllable
The obvious thing you can do to reduce your risk of developing melanoma skin cancer is to cut down exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. Tanning beds and sun lamps emit UV rays, but sunlight is the main source.
People with more moles are also more likely to develop melanoma, according to the American Cancer Societys list of risk factors. Newborn babies usually dont have any moles at all. While most moles dont cause any problems, its good to keep an eye on them. Abnormalities in shape or color, or changes, could be warning signs.
Overall, however, the lifetime risk of getting melanoma may have more to do with the color of your skin. About 1 in 200 Hispanic people get melanoma during their lifetime. Only 1 in 1,000 Black people get it, while the risk for white people is about 1 in 33 (or 3%).
Between 2013 and 2017, melanoma death rates fell by around 7% per year. This is largely down to advances in treatment, such as the novel application of AI to personalize immunotherapies.
