Moderna and Merck announced that their personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine, combined with Merck's Keytruda, reduced the risk of death or cancer recurrence by 42% compared to Keytruda alone in a Phase 3 trial of 1,137 patients with stage IIB-IV melanoma. The companies released top-line results early after an oncology news outlet broke an embargo ahead of a scheduled presentation at the European Society of Medical Oncology conference in Madrid, with full data set for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-22
Revolution Medicines has developed daraxonrasib, described as the first drug able to broadly target a key genetic driver behind pancreatic cancer. The compound is reported to work against a range of mutations previously considered difficult to treat with a single therapy.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-30
A Boston Consulting Group analysis found that of 140 in vivo CAR-T-cell drugs currently being tested in animals or humans worldwide, 82% originate from Chinese developers, even though most early preclinical research came from the US and Germany. Researchers note China has moved unusually fast in pushing these therapies into clinical trials, with early results from at least one human trial for an autoimmune condition described as promising.
nature.com
· 2026-09-28
Renier Brentjens, one of the early researchers behind CAR T cell therapy, is now developing a new generation of engineered 'living drug' treatments. His current work aims to extend the success these therapies have had against blood cancers to solid tumors, which have proven far harder to treat with cell-based approaches.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-26
Researchers report that a young boy's cancer went into remission after receiving an experimental form of CAR T cell therapy. The treatment is part of ongoing efforts to adapt CAR T technology, previously effective mainly against blood cancers, to target solid tumors.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-17
American cancer patients are increasingly traveling to China for CAR-T cell therapy, a personalized immunotherapy that reengineers a patient's white blood cells to fight cancer. The Wall Street Journal reports that Chinese providers, having scaled up production, now offer the treatment for $150,000 to $230,000 versus $550,000 to $850,000 in the US, with faster turnaround and included follow-up care.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-13
Scientists are developing genetically modified bacteria designed to seek out and treat tumors from within the body. The approach relies on engineering microbes to recognize cancerous tissue and deliver therapeutic effects directly at the tumor site.
nature.com
· 2026-09-09
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