The medical and pharmaceutical community continues to embrace emerging technologies, beginning with mRNA that rose to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic. The beauty of mRNA technology is that it opens the door to a more personalized and effective treatment as messenger RNA instructs the patient’s cells how to combat diseases like cancer. 

Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) and Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK) joined forces to advance cancer treatment with an experimental mRNA vaccine, used in combination with Merck’s blockbuster immunotherapy drug Keytruda. With promising mid-stage trial results in the battle against melanoma, the duo is also conducting a late-stage study to validate their findings and expand their research scope to other types of cancer, beginning with a non-small form of lung cancer. But mRNA technology is also being used to revolutionize cancer diagnostics. 

Moving the needle in early cancer diagnostics.

A molecular genetics diagnostic company specializing in the early detection of cancer, Mainz Biomed N.V. (NASDAQ:MYNZ), today reviewed its major accomplishments from the first half of the year. Its flagship product, colorectal cancer at-home screening test, ColoAlert is already marketed across Europe. At ASCO 2024, Mainz Biomed confirmed the results from its previous ColoFuture and eAArly DETECT studies. The pooled study was a third consecutive confirmation of the effectiveness of its tool in detecting CRC and precancerous lesions. By integrating the Fecal Immunochemical Test with proprietary mRNA biomarkers and advanced AI and machine learning algorithm, Mainz Biomed’s test showed 92% for colorectal cancer, along with 82% sensitivity for advanced adenomas which are a well-known cancer precursor, including 95.8% detection of high-grade dysplasia. While being the second most lethal cancer in the U.S. and Europe, CRC is also the most preventable cancer type as early detection results in survival rates that exceed 90%.

But Mainz Biomed went even a step further as determining lesions in a pre-cancerous stage can change the entire CRC diagnostic field, as it allows to treat the patient before the polyps even progress to a cancerous stage. With its innovative approach and a positive outcome of the FDA study, Mainz Biomed has the potential to disrupt the CRC diagnostic screening landscape and set a new gold standard.

Ahead of its pivotal FDA trial, Mainz Biomed was also awarded a Poster of Distinction at Digestive Disease Week presenting data from its eAArly DETECT study. The poster showed the study’s results of 97% sensitivity for colorectal cancer and 82% for advanced precancerous lesions. Mainz Biomed’s results for the six-month period ended on June 30th, 2024 are to be released in September.

Merck and Merck and promising to advance treatment of more than one cancer type.

Merck and Moderna’s combined treatment showed strong results in patients diagnosed with melanoma. In a mid-stage trial that involved 157 patients, their combined treatment resulted in a 96% overall survival rate after two and a half years, while Keytruda alone resulted in 90.2% survival rate. In addition, 75% of patients who underwent the combined treatment that consists of the experimental mRNA vaccine and Keytruda enjoyed recurrence-free survival, while this figure was brought down to 55.6% for those patients who only received Keytruda. The Moderna-Merck revolutionary cancer treatment represents a potential revolution on the oncology front.

Cancer is a very complex disease that comes in more than 200 different types, which is why the medical and scientific front have been struggling for way too long in an effort to find a cure, marking it as a type of disease we may never be able to cure completely. But, with the help of mRNA, a more efficient treatment is on the horizon and finally, a turning point in cancer treatment. The broader picture is that by using emerging technology, pharmaceutical companies seem to finally have the tool that gives them the power to redefine cancer treatment.

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