mRNA cancer vaccines could be in greater focus after Moderna, Merck candidate shines
ArtemisDiana

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) stock soared on Tuesday after the first show of impressive efficacy results for a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine in a randomized clinical trial. Shares are up 24% in afternoon trading.
Moderna (MRNA), which rose to fame and fortune on the back of its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, has now shown that the mRNA technology is not a mere one-trick pony battling the coronavirus but could be a disruptor in the cancer space as well. It could also provide a much-needed boost for the biotech, which is still down ~13% year to date.
The personalized cancer vaccine mRNA-4157/V940 from Moderna (MRNA) and Merck (NYSE:MRK), in combination with the latter's blockbuster Keytruda (pembrolizumab), cut the risk of recurrence or death by 44%, versus Keytruda alone in the phase 2b study called KEYNOTE-942. The combo was being evaluated as an adjuvant treatment for patients with stage 3/4 melanoma following complete resection. The study was fully enrolled with 150 people.
Moderna had engaged Autolus Therapeutics (AUTL) and gained access to the London-based company's proprietary binders via a licensing deal in August 2021 to develop mRNA therapies for up to four immuno-oncology targets.
Besides mRNA-4157, where a phase 1 trial in multiple cohorts is ongoing as per a Nov. 3 SEC filing, Moderna (MRNA) is developing three other programs within its cancer vaccines modality.
The company has a KRAS vaccine in phase 1, mRNA-5671, and it has retained all rights to the vaccine from Merck (MRK) and was evaluating next steps for the program, as per the filing. Moderna's third program is a new checkpoint cancer vaccine candidate mRNA-4359, which has already dosed the first patient in a phase 1 trial.
Merck (MRK) has been collaborating with Moderna (MRNA) since the past few years. While Merck (MRK) gave back rights to an RSV vaccine mRNA-1172 to Moderna (MRNA) in October 2020, the Kenilworth, N.J.-based pharma giant exercised an option this year in October to jointly develop and commercialize the cancer vaccine mRNA-4157/V940.
The vaccine had also shown promise in preliminary results in a phase 1 trial in head and neck cancer.
But the two companies are not the only ones in the race for cancer vaccines. Last month, German biotech CureVac's (CVAC) mRNA-based cancer vaccine CV8102 had shown preliminary efficacy as a combination therapy in patients with PD-1 refractory melanoma.
Earlier Tuesday Gritstone bio (GRTS) stock surged after the company received two U.S. patents related to its self-amplifying mRNA (samRNA) vaccine platform technology.
Several companies are in the run for exploring cancer vaccines, if not an mRNA cancer vaccine. Amazon.com (AMZN) has reportedly got into a research team up for cancer vaccines, while ImmunityBio (IBRX) has a combination immunotherapy (Nant Cancer Vaccine) in pancreatic cancer in phase 2.
VBI Vaccines (VBIV) is exploring VBI-1901 to treat glioblastoma, while Agenus (AGEN) and Targovax are collaborating on mutant KRAS cancer vaccines.
Anixa Biosciences (ANIX) is developing a breast cancer vaccine technology and GeoVax Labs (GOVX) also has a cancer vaccine program. Meanwhile, Defence Therapeutics (OTCPK:DTCFF) has a program to use its Accum technology in engineering messenger (m)RNA vaccines targeting cancer.
Meanwhile, Merck (MRK) is not just exploring the mRNA space. The company is also working on new investigational class of engineered circular RNA (oRNA) therapies for which it signed a licensing deal with Orna Therapeutics to discover multiple programs, including vaccines and therapeutics for infectious disease and oncology.