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Doctors in Russia say the initial results from the country’s first personalized vaccine for melanoma, a type of skin cancer, are highly promising. Alexander Gintsburg, scientific director of the Gamaleya National Research Institute, said the first patient to receive the vaccine, known as NeoOncVac, is doing well and has developed the immune response needed to fight the disease.
Last year, Russia’s Health Ministry approved two domestically developed personalized cancer treatments. These include the mRNA-based NeoOncVac for advanced melanoma and Oncopepti, a peptide-based drug designed to target colorectal cancer.
The first dose of NeoOncVac was administered in April to a 60-year-old man with stage III melanoma and metastases at the Herzen Moscow Oncology Research Institute.
In an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency on Thursday (July 30), Gintsburg said the patient currently feels completely normal and is continuing his treatment. Test results have shown a highly positive immune response, with the patient’s body producing the necessary active compounds to fight the tumor and metastases.
The patient will receive two additional doses, while his immune response will be closely monitored throughout the treatment process.
Gintsburg also said personalized melanoma vaccines are currently being prepared for another 10 patients and are expected to be ready for administration within the next one and a half to three months.
Andrey Kaprin, head of the National Medical Research Center of Radiology, previously described the technology as a fundamentally different approach to cancer treatment. Instead of simply treating the disease, the method is designed to train the body’s own immune system to identify and destroy cells that pose a threat.
Under the technology, samples of a patient’s tumor and healthy tissue are collected and their genetic characteristics are analyzed. This information is then used to develop a customized vaccine designed to help the immune system identify and attack cancer cells.
Meanwhile, Russian health officials said patients receiving Oncopepti for colorectal cancer have also developed the necessary immune response.
The Gamaleya Institute is also continuing research into personalized treatments for pancreatic, kidney and non-small cell lung cancers.