Anonymousabout 4 hours ago
Six-year follow-up data from a small Phase 1 trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering show that 87.5% of pancreatic cancer patients who mounted an immune response to a personalized mRNA vaccine remain alive — compared to just 25% of non-responders and a 13% five-year survival rate for the disease overall. While parallel trials in melanoma from Moderna and Merck confirm durable benefit at five years, the field faces steep challenges: half of vaccinated patients never respond, manufacturing costs exceed $100,000 per patient, federal research funding cuts threaten the pipeline, and regulatory approval remains years away as tens of thousands die annually from cancers these vaccines aim to treat.