Russia is preparing to administer its first domestically developed cancer vaccine within weeks, marking a potential breakthrough in personalized medicine, the head of the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology announced, according to TASS.

The vaccine, developed with the aid of artificial intelligence, uses messenger RNA (mRNA) technology to create treatments tailored to each patient’s genetic profile. By targeting malignant tumors based on individual genetic data, researchers hope to offer a more precise and effective therapy than traditional methods.

“All documentation was submitted to the Ministry of Health some time ago, and we hope that the Herzen Institute, the Blokhin Center, and our institute will soon receive approval to begin producing the first personalized vaccines against melanoma,” said Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Institute, during a roundtable event.

He noted that groups of patients have already been formed, their genetic data analyzed, and researchers are prepared to start treatment “within a month or a month and a half.”

60 melanoma patients involved 

Veronika Skvortsova, head of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency, confirmed earlier this month that the vaccine demonstrated strong results in preclinical trials and is ready for clinical use.

The initial rollout is expected to involve 60 melanoma patients at the Herzen Moscow Oncology Research Institute and the Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology.

It is worth noting that the Gamaleya Institute is best known internationally for developing the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers are also pursuing new vaccines for HIV using the same mRNA-based technology underpinning the cancer treatment.

Read more: Hopes for cancer cure as personal mRNA vaccine for melanoma trialled