STAT+: After a rough stretch, mRNA gets a boost — at least for now

The mRNA technology used in Covid-19 vaccines and now cancer vaccines has been through political whiplash. But with clinical success from Moderna and Merck on a personalized mRNA vaccine for melanoma, experts are hoping for a more stable future for the field.

mRNA technology allows scientists to instruct cells to construct practically any protein or protein pieces by simply rewriting the mRNA's genetic code. That capability is what made it possible to develop Covid vaccines in under a year, aided by Operation Warp Speed.

Ryan Sullivan, a Mass General Brigham melanoma physician and immunologist who has worked with Moderna, noted the potential to thaw vaccine stigma: "Maybe that will thaw some of the stigma around vaccines. I don't think it'll fix all of it, but maybe just a little bit helps us think of 'vaccine' not as a dirty word, 'mRNA' as not a four-letter word." The success could help reposition mRNA vaccines as a positive tool against cancer.