Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko stated that the anti-cancer vaccine developed by Russian scientists is now undergoing pre-clinical studies (on animals), expecting to obtain the first results by the end of this year and begin clinical trials on humans.
Murashko’s statements came on Sunday to TASS in an interview on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
He said that preliminary results of pre-clinical studies of the Russian anti-cancer vaccine could be obtained in late 2024.
He added, “The vaccine is now undergoing pre-clinical studies. We expect to obtain preliminary results by the end of the year, and begin clinical trials.”
Murashko said that the vaccine was jointly developed by several teams of scientists, representing the Gamaleya National Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology Research, the Herzen Moscow Institute for Oncology Research, and the Blokhin Cancer Research Center.
The minister said the research was “funded by the state as part of a government order.”
For his part, Russian academic Alexander Ginsburg announced that the Russian vaccine against all types of cancer successfully passed the tests conducted on laboratory mice.
The academic indicated – according to a report published by the Russia Today website – on the sidelines of the Petersburg International Economic Forum that the vaccine has passed tests on mice, and it is expected that this vaccine will be given to cancer patients by injection directly into the malignant tumor, or it will be injected intramuscularly according to the patient’s condition.
Messenger RNA
The academic explained that the vaccine was manufactured based on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology.
Vaccines are usually made from inactivated or weakened viruses. Injecting them into the body stimulates an immune response that will protect it from live pathogens later, but the process of developing this type of vaccine requires many chemicals and cell cultures, which take time to produce, and the possibility of Pollution occurs.
On the other hand, making RNA vaccines does not entail such problems, as these doses guide the body to make antibodies itself, and then the immune system retains these antigens, and prepares for the day when proteins associated with the Coronavirus will appear. Accordingly, hopes are pinned on RNA to cure other diseases, as it can direct our cells to make any protein, according to a previous report in Bloomberg.
“The most important advantage of this technology is that it allows the creation of very large concentrations of the target antigen in the cells, that is, the protein or peptides that the innovator encoded in the mRNA. This is necessary for the infected person’s immune system to be able to distinguish between the cell,” Ginsburg says. The healthy and the malignant.
He added, “We have proven that it is necessary to either inject the vaccine into the tumor or into the muscle. Because if it is given in the form of drops through the mouth, it will reach the liver because it is covered by a fatty envelope. But if it is injected into the tumor or muscle, it will be distributed evenly throughout the body.” “.
On what type of cancer was the Russian vaccine tested?
Ginsburg points out that the vaccine was tested on mice with melanoma.
Melanoma – also known as melanoma skin cancer and melanoma – is a cancer that forms in melanocytes, which are skin cells that produce melanin, a pigment responsible for skin color.
Melanoma skin cancer usually appears as a brown or black spot that is larger than a mole. The spot or bump can have irregular borders and shades of different colors. The bump may be reddish in color with mixed black, blue, or purple spots.
Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer, but it is the least common type. This disease is caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun or skin discoloration practices in beauty salons.
Russian researchers noticed that 15 days after vaccination, that is, when the immune system begins to work, there was a significant difference in the size of the tumor between vaccinated and unvaccinated animals. The result was that the unvaccinated mice died between days 19 and 22, while the vaccinated mice are still alive.
Last February, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian scientists are close to producing cancer vaccines that may soon be available to patients.
“We are very close to producing so-called cancer vaccines and immune-modulating drugs for a new generation,” Putin said in televised statements.
“I hope that they will soon be effectively used as means of individual treatment,” he added, speaking at a forum in Moscow on future technologies.
Several countries are working on a cancer vaccine
A number of countries and companies are working on cancer vaccines. Last year, the UK government signed an agreement with Germany-based BioNTech to launch clinical trials providing “personalized cancer treatments,” with the aim of reaching 10,000 patients by 2030.
The pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Merck & Co are working to develop an experimental cancer vaccine, which a study has shown reduces the chance of recurrence or death from melanoma – the deadliest skin cancer – by half after 3 years of treatment. .
There are currently 6 licensed vaccines against human papillomaviruses (HPV), which cause many types of cancer, including cervical cancer, according to the World Health Organization, in addition to vaccines against hepatitis B (HBV). , which can lead to liver cancer.