Keytruda dominates cancer immunotherapy as a PD-1 inhibitor; latest news covers AI drug age clock effects, personalised cancer vaccine combos, and expansion plans by Merck/UCB.
Insilico Medicine has reported midstage trial data showing its experimental drug rentosertib altered blood-protein patterns that six different aging clocks read as roughly three to four years younger in treated patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The 42-patient study is preliminary, multiple outlets note, and researchers warn the results do not prove true age reversal or longer life.
Two unvaccinated residents in Pennsylvania have died from measles, triggering a public health debate. Governor Shapiro says vaccinations could have averted the deaths, while RFK Jr. questions the figures, fueling a political row that experts warn could hinder responses to the outbreak.
The experimental mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran, has been tested in a phase 3 trial with 1,000+ melanoma patients. It is personalised to each patient by analysing tumors and targets neoantigens. When given with pembrolizumab, it aims to boost the immune response and extend cancer-free time. Results indicate reduced recurrence risk, but long-term survival remains to be seen. Trials also explore other cancers.