Keep up with tech in 5 minutes

Moderna and Merck's novel mRNA-based vaccine was effective in a late-stage clinical trial of patients with melanoma. The vaccine, individually tailored to target a patient's unique cancer mutations, works using a synthetic mRNA that holds the unique genetic coding for up to 34 mutations in a patient's own cancer cells. The production process involves comparing the genetic sequences of a patient's cancer cells to those of healthy cells and picking out any cancer-specific mutations that could help the immune system differentiate cancer cells from healthy ones.

The Milken Institute highlights intensifying competition across stablecoins and digital banking, including the launch of consortium-backed Open USD, a wave of OCC trust bank charters, and growing interest in tokenized deposits and yield-bearing digital dollars. The newsletter also examines X Money's US rollout with Cross River Bank, as Elon Musk pushes X toward an “everything app” while regulators scrutinize the consumer protection and financial stability implications.

Japanese cloud and data center provider Sakura Internet disclosed that hackers accessed its sales management system, exposing data of 1.36M users. Sakura detected the hack while investigating another incident involving unauthorized access to 538 accounts. Sakura is currently notifying customers and relevant authorities.