Cancer researchers see promising signs for mRNA vaccines after a turbulent year

Early clinical results and renewed funding interest are reviving momentum for mRNA-based cancer vaccines after a year of political and financial setbacks.

Vita Sara Blechner’s experience is used in the article as an example of an individual patient treated with a personalized mRNA vaccine after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Researchers have reported encouraging early trial results for mRNA-based cancer vaccines even as the field faced political pushback and funding disruptions over the past year. Scientists describe multiple approaches under study, including individualized vaccines made from a patient’s tumor and more generalized “off-the-shelf” mRNA products. Federal and industry funding trends are shifting, with some renewed support but lingering constraints. Key developments: - In a small Memorial Sloan Kettering trial of 16 patients with pancreatic cancer, eight showed a strong immune response to a personalized mRNA vaccine and seven of those eight were alive six years after the trial began, the article reports. - The article describes the personalized vaccine process used for one patient: tumor tissue was processed at BioNTech in Germany and returned as a custom mRNA vaccine for repeated infusions at MSK. - The article mentions a Moderna–Merck melanoma study whose combination therapy was reported to reduce the death rate by 49% over five years in trial announcements, and that a larger phase 3 trial and other multisite studies are underway. - A review at MD Anderson reported an association between recent mRNA Covid vaccination and stronger responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors in some patient groups, according to the article. - The article reports that the National Cancer Institute announced plans to help raise $200 million for novel cancer vaccines, while noting that last year saw contract cancellations and proposed budget cuts that temporarily slowed some research. Summary: Early clinical findings, including durable immune responses in a small pancreatic cancer trial and positive results in other studies, have helped restore momentum for mRNA cancer vaccines. Larger multisite and phase 3 trials are in progress and both federal and industry funding have shown recent movement, but previous disruptions have left some uncertainty. Undetermined at this time.