Skvortsova: oncovaccine developed by FMBA will start to be used next year

The use of a cancer vaccine, which has been developed by specialists of the Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA), is planned to start next year. This was announced by FMBA head Veronika Skvortsova at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on November 25.

"We have actually finished a three-year cycle of research on this vaccine. Thanks to the fact that this year the law on the use of personalized medicines was adopted, we hope to start using it in patients as early as next year," the specialist said.

Skvortsova said that in the course of testing the effect of the drug an experiment with malignant adenocarcinoma of the intestine in animals was conducted. After the application of the vaccine it was revealed not only a sharp slowdown in the development of the tumor, but also a reduction in its volume by 75-80%. The head of FMBA added that animals do not die after the drug is administered, but continue to live. In addition, medics have the opportunity to control the course of the disease.

As Putin emphasized, the introduction of a cancer vaccine created in Russia will be a breakthrough. Skvortsova added that the FMBA has also developed technology to recognize mutations that caused the appearance of a tumor in a particular person and to identify neoantigens to which his immune system reacts. Within these substances, fragments are released that make the immune system work against oncology. After such fragments need to be synthesized to make a vaccine based on them, which will help the body to fight the tumor.

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Before that, on September 6, the chief academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, oncologist of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Director General of the National Medical Center of Radiology Andrei Kaprin said that the Russian vaccine against cancer has passed preclinical tests. He noted that the recruitment of volunteers will be announced as soon as the research authorization is obtained. The decision on the possibility to participate in the testing will be made by specialists.

After, on October 12, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Director of the National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology named after N.F. Gamaleya. N.F. Gamalei Alexander Gintsburg said that the first to receive the personalized Russian oncovaccine will be patients with melanoma (skin cancer). The choice is explained by the fact that this is a superficial disease and in its case it will be easier to observe the effect of the drug. Later, patients with other types of tumors will also receive the vaccine, but there will be no mass testing because the drug is created individually for each person.