The cancer drug has proven effective in rodents and is currently undergoing preclinical trials. The research results are expected by the end of 2024. The developers are: the N.F. Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, the P.A. Herzen Moscow Oncology Research Institute, and the N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center for Oncology. Work on creating the drug has been ongoing since 2018 and is state-funded. The basis of the drug is messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in which proteins or peptides are encoded. These help the immune system distinguish healthy cells from diseased ones. It is known that the vaccine is therapeutic, meaning it will be administered to patients already ill. To achieve greater effectiveness, it needs to be injected intramuscularly or into the tumor. “If administered via a drip, everything accumulates in the liver because the vaccine is packaged in a lipid shell. But if injected into the tumor or intramuscularly, it is evenly distributed throughout the body,” the scientists explained. An important feature of the drug is that it is created for each patient individually. A biopsy is taken from the patient, the type of tumor mutation is determined, and then the necessary type of mRNA is reconstructed. Currently, it takes about a month to create one vaccine, but this time is planned to be reduced. For the research, rodents with melanoma were used. They were administered the drug, and after 15 days, the tumor in their bodies decreased in size. All unvaccinated mice died around the 20th day of the experiment, while the vaccinated rodents are still alive. Right now, the drug is undergoing preclinical trials which will last until the end of the year. After that, clinical trials with volunteers will begin.