Latest Breakthrough: 300,000 People Diagnosed with This Cancer Annually—AI Steps In | Earth Knowledge Bureau

Earth Knowledge Bureau Text | Lin Jian Caomusheng Proofreading | Zhao Qian Editing | e Has AI Already 'Solved' Cancer? On August 19, U.S. biotech firm Moderna and Merck (known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada) jointly announced results from a Phase III clinical trial: their AI-assisted, personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine, mRNA-4157, delivered outstanding outcomes—achieving its primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival, meaning it can effectively extend patients’ lives. (Screenshot: http://http://nytimes.comhttp://http://nytimes.com)▼ Melanoma itself is a relatively rare cancer, with approximately 300,000 new cases globally each year—more common in men than women. Yet the significance of this single injection extends far beyond melanoma: This AI-assisted vaccine is custom-designed for each individual patient—truly one-of-a-kind, with no generic substitutes. Moreover, even in its Phase IIB clinical trial, the vaccine had already reduced patients’ risk of recurrence or death by 49%. Unsurprisingly, news of this breakthrough triggered an immediate surge across the entire U.S. biopharmaceutical sector—Moderna’s stock soared nearly 177% that day, while Merck also rose significantly; even China’s biopharma sector enjoyed a spillover boost. Cancer Is Unique to Each Individual We’re all familiar with cancers—lung, gastric, cervical, esophageal, oral—each a formidable health threat. Though we casually refer to them collectively as “cancers,” the actual tumors inside each patient differ markedly. After all, cancer cells originate from mutations in normal somatic cells—and those genetic alterations vary widely. Some of these mutations produce abnormal protein fragments not found in healthy human tissues—a phenomenon known in immunology as “neoantigens.” These act like distinctive “markers” on cancer cells. If the immune system could be alerted to these markers in advance, T cells might more precisely identify and eliminate the malignant cells. ▼ This leads directly to the next challenge: developing a drug tailored specifically to each patient’s unique mutational profile would undoubtedly yield superior therapeutic efficacy. Yet historically, even developing a single new drug was an immense undertaking—enough to exhaust a major pharmaceutical company. The industry has long cited the “Three Tens”: developing a new drug typically takes over ten years, costs several billion dollars, and carries less than a 10% chance of ultimate success. Even the initial step—identifying a viable drug target—can drive researchers to despair, since it requires finding a “common denominator” effective across all patients. The recently popular CAR-T cell therapy for cancer is likewise “one patient, one dose”: a patient’s own immune cells are extracted, genetically engineered into tumor-targeting “super T cells,” then reinfused. But such treatment costs over one million RMB—clearly unaffordable for most patients. In 2019, researchers designed a bespoke drug named “Milasen” for Mila, a girl suffering from the rare neurodegenerative disorder Batten disease. To produce just this one medication, Boston Children’s Hospital—the world’s top pediatric institution—mobilized numerous elite experts and raised $3 million in dedicated funding. Such an approach is clearly impossible to scale. AI’s powerful computational capacity, however, enables direct customization based on an individual patient’s tumor profile—transforming personalized therapy from an elite research endeavor into routine clinical practice.

Year-Opening Sensation! Multiple Cancer Vaccines Set to Break Through in 2026 for Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Melanoma, etc., Achieving Dual Action: Preventing Recurrence and Eliminating Cancer Cells!

Melanoma Vaccine: Five-Year Follow-Up Confirms Sustained Efficacy 01 Personalized mRNA Vaccine: mRNA-4157 Moderna’s and Merck’s personalized neoantigen therapy, mRNA-4157, has demonstrated unprecedented long-term efficacy in high-risk Stage III/IV melanoma patients who have undergone complete tumor resection. Median five-year follow-up data released on January 20, 2026, show that mRNA-4157 combined with Keytruda reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49%, compared to Keytruda monotherapy. Long-term data further confirm that this combination regimen consistently halves the risk of recurrence or death over the full five-year period. William Blair analyst Myles Minter commented that these results “show a durable signal of tumor control.” Publicly available information indicates that when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors, this vaccine alleviates immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment, thereby enhancing therapeutic efficacy. In its Phase II trial for melanoma, the mRNA-4157–Keytruda combination reduced patients’ risk of recurrence or death by 44%. Currently, three concurrent Phase III trials are underway—including studies in melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma—with potential regulatory approval expected as early as 2027. At the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting, updated three-year data from the mRNA-4157 (V940) plus Keytruda (pembrolizumab) trial—mRNA-4157-P201 (KEYNOTE-942)—for resected melanoma revealed such striking results that this candidate is poised to become the first-ever approved mRNA-based cancer vaccine! Data cutoff date: November 3, 2023. In the KEYNOTE-942 study, the patient-specific, tumor DNA–guided mRNA-4157/V940 vaccine significantly improved recurrence-free survival (RFS), reducing recurrence or death risk by 49% among high-risk Stage III/IV melanoma patients—and cutting distant metastasis or death risk by 62%. Compared to the monotherapy group, the combination arm also achieved clinically meaningful, sustained improvement in distant metastasis–free survival (DMFS). Notably, this protective effect remained stable at 49%—from two years (44%), to three years (49%), and through five years—demonstrating the long-lasting durability of vaccine-induced immune memory. Moreover, this vaccine is individually tailored to each patient’s unique tumor mutation profile (i.e., neoantigens), enabling precise training of the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells—thus theoretically carrying far fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy. 02 Novel DNA Plasmid Vaccine: iSCIB1+ Recently, the U.S. FDA formally approved the novel cancer vaccine iSCIB1+ to enter Phase III clinical trials, evaluating its efficacy in patients with advanced melanoma. In its completed Phase II trial—which enrolled 140 patients—iSCIB1+, used in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., nivolumab plus ipilimumab), demonstrated significant potential to prolong overall survival and improve disease control.

Merck/Moderna cancer vaccine cuts risk of melanoma death or recurrence by over 40%

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Moderna and Merck reported Phase 3 trial results where their mRNA vaccine combined with Keytruda cut melanoma death or recurrence risk by 42%, marking a significant milestone in personalized cancer treatment.

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Merck/Moderna cancer vaccine cuts risk of melanoma death or recurrence by over 40%

Merck/Moderna cancer vaccine cuts risk of melanoma death or recurrence by over 40%

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