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An experimental messenger RNA cancer vaccine developed by Moderna and Merck & Co paired with Merck's Keytruda cut the chance of recurrence or death from melanoma by half after three years, showing that benefits demonstrated a year ago have held up over time. (Erman and Wingrove, 12/14)

Cambridge-based Moderna has used mRNA technology to develop an experimental melanoma vaccine which is custom-built for each patient based on analysis of their tumor once it's been surgically removed. The vaccine is designed to train the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells throughout the body. (Marshall, 12/14)

For years, Lauren Gavron relied on oxycodone to quiet the pain in her missing lower left limb. But she hated the fog that came with it, preventing her from feeling comfortable enough to drive. When researchers at the University of Pittsburgh delivered electric jolts to her spine in 2021, the Duquesne, Pennsylvania resident was shocked to feel that pain temporarily melt away — and to feel sensation in her prosthetic foot, improving her walk and balance. (Lawrence, 12/14)

Early risers may have inherited genetic variants from Neanderthals that increased their odds of being morning rather than evening people, new research has found. While the human body clock is a complex trait shaped by social and cultural norms as well as genetics, Neanderthals, who evolved at high latitudes in Europe and Asia for hundreds of thousands of years, may have been better adapted to seasonal variation in daylight compared with early Homo sapiens, or modern humans, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution. (Hunt, 12/14)