A new cancer-fighting technology presented at the National Centre RUSSIA

Russian scientists have developed a unique technology for personalised cancer treatments. Their composition is tailored to each individual patient and can train the immune system to recognise and destroy tumour cells. This was announced on 26 November at the National Centre RUSSIA during the programme "Platform of the Future: 100 Projects of Russia. Person".

"One of the key priorities identified by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, is technological leadership. Within this strategic direction, nine priority fields have been defined, and among them is healthcare, as well as the national project "New Health Preservation Technologies". This project marks a technological breakthrough in healthcare, and our main task is to ensure the country’s independence in this field," said Tatyana Golikova.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the project brings together the development of new medicines, medical devices and advanced technologies. A significant part of the national project focuses on innovation. According to her, fourteen medicines are currently under development, five of which are first-in-class — with no global equivalents in the way they work. These include treatments for ankylosing spondylitis as well as medicines for oncology, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and pathologies in newborns. All these medicines have already reached the stage of clinical trials, meaning that, if successful, they will be made available to patients, explained the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

"Another nine medicines are being developed, aimed at specific targets and forming part of our work to introduce modern therapeutic solutions. Our main task today is to ensure that the results of this technological leadership project reach each patient, each user. We want these developments not to remain fundamental research sitting on a shelf but to become real help for people suffering from diseases that today are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Primarily, these are cardiovascular and oncological diseases," added the Deputy Prime Minister.

She also reminded the audience that in September 2025 a regional project dedicated to healthy longevity medicine was launched at the federal level. This project covers not only medical aspects but also the entire living environment, as well as cultural and social components that create a comfortable, supportive environment for citizens. This is the direction in which the Government of Russia is moving — creating conditions for everyone to lead a healthy and fulfilling life, noted Tatyana Golikova.

Over the past five years, the amount of high-tech medical care provided has increased every year, said First Deputy Minister of Healthcare of the Russian Federation Viktor Fisenko. From 2020 to 2024, 6.86 million high-tech procedures were performed; in 2024 alone, 1.54 million were carried out — 14% more than planned.

"Treatments that were previously available only in federal centres and major cities can now be accessed in regional medical organisations. Thanks to upgraded equipment and improved staff training, more than 80% of all high-tech medical care is now delivered in the regions of Russia. Every year, the Ministry of Healthcare updates the list of high-tech medical services, introduces new treatment methods, and transfers well-established technologies from federal centres into the basic compulsory health insurance programme — where they become routine. This applies to such high-demand fields as oncology, cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, traumatology, and orthopaedics," he said.

Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor and leading researcher at the Gamaleya Centre, one of the creators of the Sputnik V vaccine, Vladimir Gushchin, explained that this refers to an entirely new mRNA technology for Russia (the use of messenger ribonucleic acid to create vaccines and medicines).

"Before the COVID-19 pandemic, technologies for medicines based on mRNA simply did not exist in our country. The successful development of a preventive COVID-19 vaccine abroad became the impetus for developing this technology here. As a result, we were able to master all the necessary methods and build a new platform in record time," said the Doctor of Biological Sciences.

According to him, today we can speak not only about a technology for developing candidate medicines. Russia now manufactures mRNA-based medicines at the Gamaleya Research Centre. Next year, this production will be scaled up, making it possible to produce RNA medicines using domestic components of mRNA technology — in other words, fully Russian components, added Vladimir Gushchin.

"The essence of the technology is that mRNA acts as a messenger: it transmits instructions to the cell on how to synthesise proteins. Using these instructions, the cell assembles the required protein sequences from amino acids as building ‘blocks’. Once these instructions are delivered into the cell, it becomes possible to determine what function the cell should perform. In the case of cancer, this is particularly important: mRNA can be used to deliver tumour antigens into the cell, training the immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells. In effect, the patient’s own immune system acts as the active substance," explained Vladimir Gushchin.

To develop this technology, key algorithms and software were created to identify a patient’s specific neoantigens — proteins that distinguish tumour cells from healthy ones, the professor added. A technology was also developed that allows a batch of the medicine to be produced specifically for an individual patient.

"Several days ago, this technology received official authorisation for use. Russia has become one of the few countries where mRNA-based cancer treatments are now available to patients. Of course, like any anti-tumour method, it will not be universal for everyone. Our current task within the RNA Consortium is to identify the range of oncological diseases and patient categories for whom this technology can genuinely help," noted Vladimir Gushchin.

At the first stage, treatment will be provided to patients with skin melanoma, and clinical use for these patients will begin in 2026. However, the potential of the technology is far broader, the Doctor of Biological Sciences believes. In the future, it will be able to help many patients with various oncological diseases.

For reference:

synthetic mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) is introduced into the patient’s cells and prompts them to produce specific proteins that can stimulate an immune response against a disease or perform other therapeutic functions.

A series of thematic programmes "Platform of the Future: 100 Projects of Russia" is held at the National Centre RUSSIA. They are dedicated to the national development goals set out in Presidential Decree No. 309.

Two more thematic meetings will take place before the end of the year. They will present major initiatives covering the social and infrastructure spheres, ecology, industry, the economy and culture. Presentations of the projects at the National Centre RUSSIA are delivered by their leaders and beneficiaries, as well as those who support the implementation of these initiatives.