Moderna’s mRNA cancer vaccine shows promise in early trial

Moderna’s mRNA cancer vaccine shows promise in early trial

Subject :Science and Technology

Context-

• A customized Moderna Inc. vaccine combined with a Merck & Co. cancer drug helped ward off the recurrence of the skin cancer melanoma after surgery in patients in a mid-stage clinical trial.

Detail-

• A combination of the Moderna’s experimental cancer vaccine and Merck’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda reduced the risk of death or recurrence of melanoma in high-risk patients by 44 per cent compared with treatment using only Keytruda.
• Scientists have long studied the potential of using mRNA technology — which is best known for being used successfully in Covid-19 jabs — to deliver a vaccine that teaches the body’s immune system to target cancer tumours.

What is mRNA Vaccine Technology?

• mRNA vaccines use mRNA (messenger RNA) to teach our cells how to make a protein or a protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies.
• That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies.

How are mRNA Vaccines Different From Traditional Vaccines?

• Vaccines work by training the body to recognise and respond to the proteins produced by disease-causing organisms, such as a virus or bacteria.
• Traditional vaccines are made up of small or inactivated doses of the whole disease-causing organism, or the proteins that it produces, which are introduced into the body to provoke the immune system into mounting a response.
• mRNA vaccinestricks the body into producing some of the viral proteins itself.
• They work by using mRNA, or messenger RNA, which is the molecule that essentially puts DNA instructions into action. Inside a cell, mRNA is used as a template to build a protein.

What are the Advantages of Using mRNA Based Vaccines?

• mRNA vaccines are considered safe as mRNA is non-infectious, non-integrating in nature, and degraded by standard cellular mechanisms.
• They are highly efficacious because of their inherent capability of being translatable into the protein structure inside the cell cytoplasm.
• Additionally, mRNA vaccines are fully synthetic and do not require a host for growth, e.g., eggs or bacteria. Therefore, they can be quickly manufactured inexpensively to ensure their “availability” and “accessibility” for mass vaccination on a sustainable basis.

Melanoma carcinoma:

• Melanoma is the rarest and dangerous type of skin cancer.
• It develops in cells called melanocytes.
• Melanocytes produce melanin which is responsible for skin color.
• The exact reason for melanoma is not yet found.
• Younger women (under the age of 35- 40) are more prone to this disease.

Causes of Melanoma carcinoma:

• The exact cause of Melanoma carcinoma is not clear .
• Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight increases the risk of developing melanoma.
• Limiting one’s exposure to UV radiation can help reduce your risk of melanoma.

Symptoms of Melanoma carcinoma:

• This skin cancer can develop anywhere on the human body such as legs, arms, and face.
• Few visible symptoms are:
  • Change in existing mole.
  • Change in the sensation.
  • Unusual growth of the skin.
  • Appearance of new spot on the skin.
  • Risk factors for Melanoma carcinoma:

Treatment for Melanoma carcinoma:

• Treatment of melanoma generally depends on the severity of the disease. Following are the treatments available for melanoma.
  • Chemotherapy
  • Affected melanocytes are removed through surgery.
  • Immunotherapy is used to treat melanoma. IMLYGIC, OPDIVO, KEYTRUDA, and ZELBORAF are Immunotherapy treatment approved by the FDA to treat melanoma skin cancer.