British man tests first personalised melanoma vaccine
The first trial of the world’s first “personalised” mRNA vaccine against the deadliest form of skin cancer – melanoma – is now underway in the UK.
Steve Young, 52, from Stevenage, Hertz, who had a melanoma growth cut out of his scalp last August, is one of the first patients to try the shot.
It is designed to help his immune system recognise and wipe out any remaining cancerous cells.
And hopefully, that means his cancer will not return.
The jab, mRNA-4157 (V940), uses the same technology as current Covid vaccines and is being tested in final-stage Phase III trials.
University College London Hospitals (UCLH) doctors are giving it alongside another drug, pembrolizumab or Keytruda, that also helps the immune system kill cancer cells.
The “gamechanger” jab also has the potential to stop bladder, lung and kidney cancer.
It’s custom-built for each person and tells the body to identify cancer cells and stops the disease returning.