Clinical success of mRNA melanoma vaccine supported the technology — STAT News
The clinical success of a personalized mRNA vaccine against melanoma, which Moderna and Merck are working on, gives specialists reason to hope for a more stable future for this technology. STAT News reports.
mRNA capabilities
mRNA technology became the basis for Covid-19 vaccines made by Moderna and BioNTech. It is now also being used to develop cancer vaccines.
mRNA enables scientists to direct cells to produce virtually any protein or fragments of it by changing the genetic code of the mRNA. This property was one of the reasons that made it possible to develop Covid-19 vaccines in less than a year.
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The development was also supported by the Operation Warp Speed program, which helped finance and accelerate vaccine creation.
Attitudes toward vaccination
Mass General Brigham physician and immunologist Ryan Sullivan, who worked with Moderna, said that the success of cancer vaccination could affect the attitudes of the part of society that views the very word “vaccine” with caution.
According to him, this is unlikely to completely eliminate the stigma surrounding vaccines, but even a small change could help people perceive the words “vaccine” and “mRNA” less negatively.
