Moderna cancer vaccine stops melanoma returning: what’s next for personalized treatments? Promising trial results suggest cancer vaccines work and could be used to target other tumours. By Rachel Fieldhouse & Mohana Basu

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02612-3?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=3600bd2098-nature-briefing-daily-20260821&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-33f35e09ea-50432164 A personalized mRNA vaccine for melanoma reduced the risk of the cancer returning in a phase III clinical trial, the companies behind the trial announced this week. The vaccine is the first mRNA-based cancer treatment to show success in a late-stage trial, which is “incredibly exciting”, says mRNA researcher Seth Cheetham. The results could have implications beyond the field of cancer, too, says Sam Barrell, the chief executive of medical research charity LifeArc. It could help to build confidence in more-tailored approaches to treatments for rare conditions that are often driven by unique genetic mutations.