Welcome to the Weekly Rundown where the DDN editors cover this week’s top biotech and pharma news.
Personalized melanoma vaccine shows lasting benefit after five years
On Tuesday, Moderna and Merck announced that their experimental personalized cancer vaccine continued to cut the risk of death or recurrence in high-risk melanoma patients five years after treatment began. In a mid-stage trial, the vaccine — given alongside Merck’s Keytruda — reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49 percent compared with Keytruda alone, matching results seen in earlier follow-ups. The personalized therapy, known as intismeran or mRNA-4157, uses a patient’s tumor genetic profile to generate a bespoke mRNA vaccine that trains the immune system to target cancer cells. The data comes as the American Cancer Society projects about 112,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2026, underscoring the potential scale of the need for new treatments. The five-year results bolster early hopes for Moderna as it pushes to expand its mRNA platform beyond COVID-19 and build a more durable oncology pipeline. – Bree Foster
Blood test flags cancer risk in patients with vague symptoms, study finds
Researchers in Sweden have shown that a simple blood test could help identify cancer in patients presenting with non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, pain, or weight loss, according to a study led by Karolinska Institutet and published in Nature Communications. The team analyzed plasma samples from nearly 700 patients referred to diagnostic centres at Danderyd Hospital and Örebro University Hospital, measuring more than 1,400 proteins using large-scale proteomics. They identified a distinct protein signature associated with cancer and developed a model that could distinguish cancer from other serious conditions with similar symptoms, including inflammatory and infectious diseases, with high precision. The researchers said the test is not intended to replace imaging or biopsies, but could help clinicians prioritize which patients should undergo further investigation, with additional studies planned to assess its performance in primary care settings. – Andrea Corona
New study challenges traditional brain maps based on structure
Current maps of the brain are based on cytoarchitecture — how cells are organized within the tissue when seen under the microscope. These structure-based divisions ignore the electrical activity of the neurons and how they work within and beyond those structures. But in a new study in Nature Neuroscience, researchers at the Karolinska Institute found that neuronal activity patterns better matched the hierarchy of information rather than the structure of the tissue. The brain processes information in a bottom-up hierarchy, from simple sensory data to complex abstractions. Neurons with slow, regular activity were involved in information integration and reasoning, which is high up in the information hierarchy as well as the prefrontal cortex’s internal hierarchy. However, neurons with very fast activity patterns, involved in decision-making, were also concentrated in regions at the top of the prefrontal cortex’s own internal hierarchy. “This suggests that cognitive processes rely on local collaboration between neurons whose activity patterns complement one another,” says Marie Carlén, a neuroscientist at Karolinska Institute in the press release. “Our findings challenge the traditional way of defining brain regions and have major implications for understanding brain organization overall.” – Melissa Kay
Chemotherapy found to trigger microbiome signals that limit cancer spread
Chemotherapy’s damage to the gut lining may trigger a previously unrecognized anti-metastatic immune response, according to a new study published in Nature Communications that links intestinal injury to long-lasting systemic effects. Researchers found that chemotherapy alters nutrient availability in the gut, reshaping the microbiota and boosting production of IPA (indole-3-propionic acid), a microbial metabolite derived from tryptophan. Rather than acting locally, IPA travels to the bone marrow, where it reprograms immune cell production, reducing the generation of immunosuppressive monocytes and enhancing T-cell–driven anti-tumor activity. In preclinical models, this immune rewiring created a metastasis-resistant state, particularly in the liver. The team also analyzed samples from colorectal cancer patients, which showed that higher circulating IPA levels after chemotherapy were associated with lower monocyte counts and improved survival. The findings suggest that chemotherapy can induce a durable form of “biological memory” via the gut microbiome, revealing a gut–bone marrow–metastasis axis that could be harnessed to develop microbiota-derived adjuvant strategies to limit cancer spread. – Bree Foster
GSK to buy RAPT Therapeutics for $2.2B to bolster pipeline ahead of HIV patent losses
Britain’s GSK has agreed to acquire US-based RAPT Therapeutics for $2.2 billion, gaining access to an experimental food-allergy drug as it looks to offset looming patent expiries for its top-selling HIV medicine, dolutegravir. The deal, struck weeks after new CEO Luke Miels took over, values RAPT at $58 per share — a 65 percent premium to its prior close — and gives GSK global rights to RAPT’s mid-stage asset ozureprubart outside mainland China and several Asian territories. Ozureprubart is designed to block antibody-driven allergic inflammation and could offer less frequent dosing than existing options, potentially competing with Xolair, which is partnered with Novartis. Analysts said the transaction aligns with GSK’s stated strategy of pursuing bolt-on acquisitions, though some noted the asset is earlier-stage than expected given HIV patent expiries begin in 2028. – Andrea Corona
Janux, Bristol Myers Squibb strike tumor-activated therapy deal for solid tumors
Janux Therapeutics shared it has entered a collaboration and exclusive worldwide license agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb to develop an undisclosed, tumor-activated therapeutic targeting a validated antigen expressed across multiple solid tumor types. Under the agreement, Janux will advance the program through preclinical development and IND submission, after which Bristol Myers Squibb will assume responsibility for clinical development and global commercialization, with Janux supporting the partner through completion of the first Phase 1 study. Janux is eligible to receive up to $50 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments, additional development, regulatory and commercial milestones totaling up to approximately $800 million, and tiered royalties on global sales. – Andrea Corona
