Moderna Cancer Vaccine and Keytruda Show 67 Percent Response Rate in PD-L1 Positive Melanoma Patients

Moderna has reported findings from a study involving its investigational cancer vaccine, mRNA-4359, in combination with Merck’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab). The data indicates that the treatment achieved an overall objective response rate of 24% in patients diagnosed with melanoma. Among patients who tested positive for the PD-L1 biomarker, the efficacy increased significantly to 67%.

The results highlight a potential correlation between PD-L1 positivity and improved outcomes when using this combination therapy. PD-L1 is a protein often associated with immune system evasion by cancer cells, and its presence may influence how patients respond to immunotherapy treatments. Moderna’s mRNA-4359 is designed to target specific antigens expressed by melanoma cells, while Keytruda works by blocking the PD-1 pathway to enhance immune system activity against tumors. These findings represent early data from ongoing research into combining mRNA-based vaccines with established immunotherapies for cancer treatment. Further studies are expected to explore these results in greater detail and assess their implications for broader clinical use.

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Date: October 13, 2025

Author

Mark Chiang