Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccines Show Promise Amid Turbulence

A small Memorial Sloan Kettering study finds a patient-specific mRNA vaccine for pancreatic cancer can provoke strong immune responses and deliver long-term survivors, despite a turbulent year of funding and public skepticism around mRNA. Eight of 16 patients had a meaningful immune response and seven are alive six years after the trial; larger multisite trials and industry backing are advancing the approach, which also includes non-personalized, off-the-shelf vaccines aiming to trigger broader anti-tumor immunity.