Human Trials Begin For Personalized mRNA Melanoma Vaccines
Human Trials Begin For Personalized mRNA Melanoma Vaccines
The Facts
The University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) has begun human trials for an mRNA vaccine for the skin cancer melanoma, which impacts around 132K around the world annually.
The vaccine, which uses the same technology as some of the COVID jabs, is made by companies Moderna and Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD). It's personalized, meaning it's built to target only the specific genetic makeup of an individual's tumor.
The Spin
This groundbreaking news out of the UK shows that mRNA technology can be used to prevent several types of deadly cancer. However, scientists have gotten this far with very little funding, so for these treatments to make their way into the global medical market, a lot more funding will be needed.
Questions surrounding the need for immense amounts of funding should prompt further questions about how people will afford these vaccines once they're on the market. According to sources reportedly close to the research, these trials have cost £400K per patient. Cancer research is incredibly important, but so is making medicine affordable.
