The representative of a medical center important which depends on the Russian Ministry of Health recently announced that the country had successfully developed a cancer vaccine. The latter could also be the subject of free distribution from the start of 2025.
A global messenger RNA vaccine
If the concept of a vaccine against cancer is not new, Professor Andreï Kaprin, director general of the National Medical Research Center in Radiology of Russia which reports directly to the Ministry of Health, has nevertheless just made the announcement of ‘A global cancer vaccine. It is intended for patients already suffering from cancer and should be the subject of personalized injections which would therefore adapt to the profile and state of health of each individual. This messenger RNA vaccine method is also already being tested, but this time only in the fight against melanoma in the United Kingdom, the most common form of skin cancer.
This type of vaccine aims to teach the immune system to recognize and target proteins specific to different cancers. To do this, researchers use ribonucleic acid (RNA), genetic material from the patient’s tumor that allows the use of antigens. Once in the body, antigens stimulate the immune system for the production of antibodies whose mission will be to target cancer cells.
A lot of information is missing
Apart from Andrei Kaprin’s announcement, the Russian authorities have not provided further details. There is no indication of exactly what type of vaccine it is or any evidence of its effectiveness. The only information available is that there will be a free distribution from the beginning of 2025. It therefore goes without saying that the information should be taken with a pinch of salt.
In the meantime, other countries are developing personalized cancer vaccines. In addition to the United Kingdom, the United States is also in the game with a vaccine that targets glioblastomaa brain cancer, developed by a team from the University of Florida. The results published in the journal Cell on May 9, 2024 seem very promising.
Did Russia overtake everyone? It is difficult to say. In June 2024, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko declared that Russia was developing a vaccine by several local teams, work financed by the government. Andreï Kaprin’s announcement therefore echoes that of the minister, but in the absence of details, it is for the moment quite difficult to take these statements seriously.
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