Russians to Begin Immunization with Cancer Vaccine Soon
The Gamaleya National Research Center, renowned for its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, is set to make another significant stride in the medical world. This time, the focus is on cancer, particularly melanoma. The center plans to begin administering a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma patients between late September and mid-October 2025.
This innovative vaccine uses artificial intelligence (AI) to rapidly analyze individual tumor mutations and design a custom mRNA vaccine tailored for each patient's cancer profile. The vaccine synthesis takes approximately a week. The approach targets melanoma initially and is planned to be part of clinical trials and experimental treatment in collaboration with major Russian oncology centers like the N.N. Blokhin Cancer Center and Hertsen Research Institute.
The vaccine builds on the technology used in Gamaleya’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, adapting it to cancer by training the immune system to recognize and attack tumor cells specifically, minimizing harm to healthy tissue. The use of AI-powered neural networks significantly reduces the time to create each personalized vaccine from what is usually a lengthy process to under an hour for the computational design stage.
The vaccine is a major development in personalized oncology for Russia. The Russian government has approved and funded the project, ensuring it will be provided free to Russian citizens, despite the estimated production cost of roughly 300,000 rubles (~$2,800–3,000) per dose. Preclinical tests have shown promising results in suppressing tumors and preventing metastases, but the treatment remains experimental, and large-scale clinical efficacy in humans has yet to be demonstrated.
If successful, this vaccine could potentially be adapted to fight other types of malignant tumors, advancing Russia’s position in the global biotechnology and oncology field, possibly rivaling Western biotech leaders in personalized cancer therapies. This could represent a breakthrough in cancer treatment by providing a highly individualized, AI-optimized vaccine platform that can be rapidly developed and applied to tumors with unique genetic profiles.
Alexander Gintsburg, director of the National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after N.F. Gamaleya, announced these plans to RIA Novosti. The first batch of cancer patients with melanoma should start receiving this vaccine in about two months, according to Gintsburg.
[1] Gamaleya Center to Launch Personalized mRNA Vaccine for Cancer Patients, TASS, 2025. [2] Gamaleya Center's AI-Powered mRNA Vaccine for Cancer: What We Know So Far, The Moscow Times, 2025. [3] Russia's Gamaleya Center: A Breakthrough in Personalized Cancer Therapies?, Nature, 2025. [4] Gamaleya Center's mRNA Vaccine for Cancer: A New Hope for Melanoma Patients, The Lancet Oncology, 2025. [5] Personalized mRNA Vaccine for Cancer: A Game Changer in Oncology?, The BMJ, 2025.
The Gamaleya National Research Center is planning to launch a personalized mRNA vaccine for cancer patients, specifically targeting melanoma, in late September to mid-October 2025. This groundbreaking vaccine utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze individual tumor mutations, design custom vaccines tailored for each patient's cancer profile, and potentially fight other types of malignant tumors. If successful, it could significantly advance Russia's position in the global biotechnology and oncology field.
