Moderna announced the success of its experimental cancer vaccine. Its stock soared 120%.

A late-stage study showed that the experimental mRNA vaccine developed by the biotechnology company Moderna and the pharmaceutical company Merck successfully prevented the recurrence and spread of cancer in high-risk melanoma patients. Following this announcement, Moderna’s stock soared 120% at the opening of trading on August 19, while Merck’s stock rose 10.5%.

The success of the trials paves the way for a new treatment that could extend the lives of thousands of people diagnosed each year with melanoma—the deadliest form of skin cancer— according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Intismeran vaccine is based on messenger RNA, which delivers genetic “instructions” to cells, teaching the immune system to recognize and attack tumors. As trials have shown, when combined with Merck’s blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda, the drug successfully achieved its primary goals. The therapy significantly extended the remission period in patients after melanoma removal and prevented the spread of metastases to other organs. Most recurrences occur within the first two to three years after treatment and tumor removal, notes CNBC .

Unlike traditional vaccines against infections, Intismeran is customized for each patient. The process begins after surgery to remove the melanoma: a blood sample and a tissue biopsy are sent for analysis of the cancer’s genetic profile. As a result, scientists identify unique mutations in the cancer cells that are most likely to trigger an immune response. These target mutations are encoded in mRNA and transformed into a vaccine, a process that takes about six weeks. While the personalized medication is being prepared, patients recover from surgery and receive Keytruda to keep the disease in check.

Exact data on progression-free survival have not yet been disclosed—the company will present detailed results at a medical conference later this year.

Moderna and Merck are currently conducting research on other types of cancer as well, including bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and the most common form of lung cancer.

This is the first successful late-stage trial for personalized cancer therapy, according to the WSJ. It confirms the effectiveness of years of research into developing drugs tailored to the tumor mutations of a specific individual.

For Moderna, these results pave the way into the oncology market, which is worth over $240 billion. This is critically important for the biotech company as sales of COVID-19 vaccines decline. “We are now an oncology company,” said CEO Stéphane Bancel. “By Christmas, you’ll see a company returning to sales growth for the first time in four years.”

For Merck, the new drug will help offset the upcoming loss of the patent for Keytruda—one of the world's best-selling drugs.

However, personalized vaccines are complex and expensive to produce, so their future availability to a wide range of patients remains in question, the WSJ notes. To date, the only therapeutic cancer vaccine approved by U.S. regulators is Provenge, developed by Dendreon Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of prostate cancer.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor