How does the vaccine work?
This is not a traditional preventative measure, like vaccines against viral diseases. It is an innovative immunotherapy method aimed at training the patient’s immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells.
Research conducted by the Gamaleya Centre in Russia involves the use of mRNA technology similar to that used to create the COVID-19 vaccine. This approach allows us to programme immune cells to fight specific types of tumours, including melanoma, intestinal adenocarcinoma, and other malignancies.
According to Academician Alexander Leonidovich Ginzburg, who heads the institute, the first clinical trials have already shown encouraging results: a reduction in tumour size by almost 80%! Thus, we can talk about the effectiveness of the vaccine not only in the early stages, but also in more advanced ones.
Modern immune technologies in oncology
mRNA vaccines are an innovative immunotherapy method that uses a copy of the messenger RNA molecule to stimulate an immune response. Their key advantages:
- high flexibility
- availability in production
- ability to quickly scale
The development of this technology during the pandemic has allowed scientists to speed up the process of creating new drugs by adapting them to specific antigens.
However, mRNA cancer vaccines are still in the early stages of research. Most of them have not even passed the first phase of clinical trials, which evaluates the safety of the drug. However, there are already preventive vaccines that reduce the risk of cancer. For example, the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) prevents infection and thereby reduces the likelihood of developing cancer of the cervix, throat and other mucous membranes.
In addition to vaccines, other advanced treatment methods are also being actively developed in oncology. One of the most promising areas is CAR-T therapy, an innovative cell technology in which the patient’s modified T cells are “trained” to recognise and destroy tumour cells. Although this method is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a vaccine, it is essentially an individualised form of therapy that can significantly improve the effectiveness of the fight against cancer.
Availability of treatment in Russia for foreign patients
Russia is becoming an important centre for medical tourism, especially in oncology. Foreign citizens come to Moscow and other large cities to undergo diagnostics and treatment in the country’s leading clinics. The international medical tourism agency Medigate provides significant assistance in this process. We help patients with the selection of medical institutions, visa processing, travel arrangements and support at all stages of treatment.
Cancer vaccine research at the Gamaleya Centre opens new horizons in the fight against this dangerous disease. The use of mRNA technologies and personalised approaches offers hope for effective treatment of various types of tumours. Russia is one of the key countries where patients from all over the world can receive high-quality medical care, including the latest immunotherapy methods.