What are cancer ‘vaccines’ and will they revolutionise treatment? | In Focus podcast
A podcast from The Hindu explores the emergence of mRNA-based cancer vaccines, specifically focusing on recent trials for melanoma. Experts discuss how this technology differs from traditional vaccines and its potential to revolutionize personalized cancer treatment.
Why it matters
mRNA technology, popularized by Covid-19 vaccines, is being repurposed to create highly personalized therapies that could significantly improve survival rates for hard-to-treat cancers.
There’s been a lot of excitement in the cancer research field recently. Preliminary results from a trial with patients who had melanoma or skin cancer, showed that a ‘cancer vaccine’ had been successful in reducing the recurrence of melanoma tumours. This vaccine, called instamaren autogene, is based on mRNA technology – the same tech that was used to manufacture Covid vaccines during the pandemic. A number of other trials across the world are also looking into how mRNA vaccines can help prevent the recurrence of certain hard-to-treat cancers.
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