Russia is creating a unique immune-engineered cancer drug

The first immune-engineered drug for cancer treatment in Russia in its class is being developed by specialists from the immune engineering laboratory of Sechenov University of the Ministry of Health in cooperation with a scientific group from the Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology.

Project care: blood cancer treatment proposed to be financed separately

Will it help prevent increased mortality among patients

This is TCR-therapy, in which genetically modified T-lymphocytes (white cells in human blood that promote the production of antibodies and destroy viral cells) of the patient are used to fight cancer cells. The modification allows them to produce tumor-specific T-cell receptors, without which the tumor itself cannot be recognized and destroyed.

"Preclinical trials of engineered T cells genetically modified with a construct encoding an antigen-specific T-cell receptor have begun within our laboratory. The data obtained to date show promising results. TCR-T cells have shown the ability to effectively kill targeted tumor cells, and after a series of successful in vitro (laboratory) trials, we have moved on to proof of concept in vivo (animal) in xenograft mouse models. In 2026-2027, we plan to move to clinical trials," Alina Alshevskaya, head of the immune engineering laboratory at Sechenov University, told Izvestia.

Now the stage of testing the drug on animals is underway. Clinical trials of the promising drug are scheduled for 2026-2027.

Read more in the exclusive material "Izvestia":

Cell strike: the Russian Federation is creating a unique immunoengineered cancer drug