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BY Taylor Hatmaker

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A breakthrough treatment for the deadliest form of skin cancer can cut a patient’s risk of recurrence or death nearly in half.

The new scientific revelation is powered by an mRNA-based vaccine crafted with the technology behind both Pfizer and Moderna’s landmark COVID-19 shots. By using mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid), the vaccine can be customized for the genetic profile of an individual patient’s skin cancer, fighting tumors much more effectively than generic traditional methods.

“For decades, cancer treatment has largely been defined by where a tumor originates in the body,” Melanoma Institute Australia professor Georgina Long, the study’s principal author, wrote in the announcement. “The [clinical trial] findings support a fundamentally new and individualized approach to treating resected melanoma . . .…