Key facts
- Russia's personalized cancer vaccine program uses AI to identify unique tumor mutations.
- Over 40 patients have been selected for the program.
- The first patients show a 50- to 100-fold rise in key antibodies.
- The vaccine is custom-made for each patient, taking approximately 42 days.
- Clinical effectiveness is still under evaluation, with a major checkpoint at three months.
Russia is advancing its personalized cancer vaccine program, leveraging artificial intelligence as a critical tool. Over 40 patients have been enrolled, with initial treatments demonstrating a significant immune response. The vaccine is tailored to each individual by analyzing tumor and blood material to identify unique mutations using AI-driven algorithms. This process, taking about 42 days, involves sequencing RNA and comparing the patient's genome with tumor data to pinpoint targets. Subsequently, the vaccine introduces peptides designed to train the immune system to attack malignant cells while sparing healthy tissue. While the first two colorectal cancer patients have shown promising results, including a 50- to 100-fold increase in G immunoglobulins and a decrease in lymph node size after five injections, former Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova cautioned that it is premature to declare clinical effectiveness. A key evaluation point is scheduled for three months post-treatment, when MRI scans will assess changes in lymph nodes and metastatic sites. The program is part of Russia's broader initiative in personalized immunotherapies, including domestic vaccines like Neooncovac and Oncopept, with clinical use permission granted in March.