New clinical trials have shown that a special mRNA vaccine, made by Moderna and Merck, helps treat serious skin cancer called melanoma. This vaccine is given together with a medicine called Keytruda, and results from recent studies show that nearly 70% of patients stayed cancer-free five years after treatment.

The treatment works because scientists make the vaccine to fit each patient. They study each person’s cancer and make a vaccine that helps the immune system find and kill the cancer cells after surgery. This targeted approach helps stop the disease from coming back.

Because of the good results with melanoma, researchers are now testing mRNA vaccines for other cancers like lung and breast cancer. The American medicines agency, called the FDA, has given special approval to speed up these new treatments.