Moderna reports first positive Phase 3 for mRNA neoantigen therapy in melanoma
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Moderna and Merck announced the first positive Phase 3 results for an mRNA neoantigen therapy in melanoma.
Moderna and Merck reported positive Phase 3 results for intismeran autogene, an individualized mRNA therapy for melanoma, combined with KEYTRUDA, as adjuvant treatment for resected stage IIB-IV melanoma. The study met its primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival and a key secondary endpoint of distant metastasis-free survival. This marks the first positive Phase 3 result for an individualized neoantigen therapy and for an mRNA-based cancer therapy. Moderna's CEO Noubar Afeyan noted that when the company was founded in 2010, the concept of mRNA as medicine was widely rejected.
What commenters are saying
Commenters celebrated the news and turned to skin cancer prevention. One noted that anti-skin cancer practices like sunscreen use became popular only in recent decades, with many 'sun children' of the 1950s and 1960s now facing melanoma. Several emphasized that sunburn risk depends on UV index, not temperature; one commenter reported getting their worst sunburn while skiing in Colorado. Others discussed historical attitudes: Victorians covered up for fashion and class reasons, not health knowledge, and 1970s sunscreens blocked UVB but let tanning UVA through, contributing to cancer rates.