Merck and Moderna have reported positive results from a late-stage clinical trial of an experimental, personalised mRNA cancer vaccine that significantly reduced the risk of melanoma returning or spreading after treatment. The companies say this marks the first successful phase 3 trial of an mRNA-based personalised cancer therapy, a milestone that could pave the way for a new class of treatments tailored to individual patients' tumours rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

The trial, known as INTerpath-001, tested the vaccine in patients with melanoma, one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer due to its tendency to spread. Experts, including Dr Murad Alam, chief of dermatology at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, described the results as "very exciting", noting the potential for the approach to change how doctors treat and manage the disease. Full details of the trial's methodology and results were not fully disclosed in the available report.