The mRNA technology that was deployed so effectively in vaccines against COVID-19 has now been found to offer similar promise against cancer, according to Merck & Co and Moderna.
Shares in Moderna were ticking upwards today after Merck & Co took up an option on a personalised RNA-based cancer vaccine with a payment of $250 million.
Adding Nykode Therapeutics' VB10.16 vaccine to treatment with Roche's cancer immunotherapy Tecentriq resulted in disease control in two-thirds of patients with advanced cervical cancer.
A peptide vaccine developed by Australia's Imugene has reduced tumour size in around half of patients with HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer in a phase 2 trial
It would be easy to forget that back in 2019, BioNTech was an early-stage biotech firmly focused on cancer vaccines, before being catapulted onto the world-stage with its COVID-19 shot.
The latest crop of financings in the digital health category includes a sizeable $84 million round for Wellvana Health, with Genialis, ThoughtFull, and Mindset Health also