Russia this week claimed it has developed a mRNA-based vaccine to treat cancer, which will be available for free to patients from early 2025.
An mRNA vaccine is a type of vaccine that uses a copy of a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) to produce an immune response. Now, Russian scientists say they have developed an mRNA vaccine against cancer, which will be distributed for free to all cancer patients.
This was confirmed by Andrey Kaprin, General Director of the Radiology Medical Research Center of the Russian Ministry of Health, in a statement to Radio Rossiya on December 15, TASS reported.
Earlier, Alexander Gintsburg, Director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology told TASS that the cancer vaccine’s pre-clinical trials had shown that it suppresses tumor development and potential metastases.
According to Gintsburg, the use of artificial neural networks could bring down the duration of computing required to create a personalized cancer vaccine. The current process is lengthy and using AI could cut this time to “less than an hour”, he told TASS on December 9.
“Now it takes quite a long to build [personalized vaccines] because computing of how a vaccine, or customized mRNA, should look like uses matrix methods, in mathematical terms. We have involved the Ivannikov Institute which will rely on AI in doing this math, namely neural network computing where these procedures should take about half an hour to an hour,” Gintsberg, who is Russia’s vaccine chief said.
Personalized vaccines against many forms of cancer
Scientists say that it’s important to note that while the announcement has generated significant interest, the vaccine is still in the early stages of development. Pre-clinical trials have shown promising results, but further clinical trials are needed to assess its safety and efficacy in humans.
They stress that it’s crucial to approach such announcements with a critical eye and to wait for peer-reviewed scientific studies to confirm the claims.
Greek expert at the London School of Economics (LSE) Elias Mosialos, said that “announcements by governments or companies that are not accompanied by a detailed presentation of research data should be treated with caution”.
Speaking to Healthstat.gr he acknowledged that medicine and research into the treatment of cancer is progressing at a rapid pace and in the coming years we will have many positive developments”.
He clarified however that “the announcement by the Russian government is not something new. The British National Health System (NHS) is already collaborating with Biontech and has started clinical trials for personalized vaccines against many forms of cancer. It is still too early to say whether they will be effective, whether they will be for early or advanced stages”.
In October 2024, researchers from the UK’s University of Oxford were awarded funding to create the world’s first vaccine to prevent ovarian cancer. OvarianVax is a vaccine that teaches the immune system to recognize and attack the earliest stages of ovarian cancer.
Pharmaceutical giants conduct clinical trials for mRNA vaccines
According to Mosialos, pharmaceutical giants such as Moderna and MSD are in phase 3 of clinical trials for mRNA vaccines for melanoma, and the results of the second phase of the study were very encouraging. “Essentially, they are testing the vaccine to see if it reduces the risk of melanoma coming back after initial treatment,” Mosialos noted.
While cancer vaccines are generally well-tolerated, they can cause side effects as the immune system responds to the treatment.
Common reactions include flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue, and headache[. Some patients may experience myalgia (muscle pain), joint aches, and back pain. It’s important to note that these reactions are typically mild and short-lived, often resolving on their own.
Related: Vaccine for Cancer ‘Could be Ready by 2030’
