The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Moderna announced that its personalized mRNA cancer vaccine cut the risk of melanoma recurrence and spread in a late-stage trial, leading to a 160-per-cent surge in the company's shares. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that Moderna, in collaboration with Merck, developed a vaccine tested alongside the immunotherapy drug Keytruda for melanoma. Thousands of patients who have had surgery for high-risk melanoma tumours could benefit next year pending regulatory approval. This is the first positive late-stage trial result for an mRNA cancer vaccine, training the immune system to target specific mutations in tumours. It also shows that combining this treatment with Keytruda is more effective than Keytruda alone. Similar approaches are being tested for lung, breast and pancreatic cancers. Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy's Karen Knudsen says Moderna's results could signal a new era for treating solid-tumour cancers. Dr. Knudsen says: "The positive hit here leads us into truly this next phase in immunotherapy. This is an auspicious start -- this is where things begin." Merck climbed 11 per cent on hopes the vaccine will expand its prospects in cancer.