The first recipients of the oncolytic vaccine will be patients participating in clinical trials scheduled for late 2024 to early 2025. This drug is being developed by the National Medical Research Radiology Center of the Russian Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, academician Andrei Kaprin, chief oncologist of the Ministry of Health, told aif.ru. Kaprin highlighted that the Center is conducting extensive research in two main directions. Oncolytic Vaccine: Targeting Malignant Cells “The first direction involves an oncolytic vaccine based on the combination of four non-pathogenic viruses, which destroy malignant cells while simultaneously activating the patient’s antitumor immunity. The vaccine's efficacy and safety have been confirmed through preclinical trials. The antitumor effect ranges from slowing tumor growth to its complete destruction,” the academician explained. According to him, clinical trials and patient recruitment for the first phase will begin in late 2024 to early 2025. Personalized mRNA Vaccines: Tailored Immunity for Patients The second direction focuses on personalized mRNA vaccines, developed in collaboration with the Gamaleia Institute. “The key difference of this method lies in its individual approach: based on a genetic analysis of each patient’s tumor, a unique vaccine is created that can ‘teach’ the immune system to recognize cancer cells,” the oncologist stated. He further explained that this type of vaccine works at the molecular level, programming the immune system to combat tumors based on their molecular “portrait.” Previously, Alexander Ginzburg, director of the National Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology Gamaleia, indicated that the first participants in clinical trials for the new vaccine might include patients with melanoma or small-cell lung cancer.