Oncopept (colorectal cancer vaccine)

History

2025: Vaccine Release

At the end of December 2025, a personalized peptide therapeutic vaccine "Onkopept" was released in Russia, intended for the therapy of colorectal cancer. The drug was created by scientific organizations of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA), headed by the Federal Scientific and Clinical Center (FNCC) of Physicochemical Medicine named after Yu.M. Lopukhin.

The vaccine is produced individually for each patient based on a deep analysis of the genetic material of the tumor obtained during surgery or biopsy. Specialists using a special bioinformatic algorithm identify specific mutations - "identification marks" of cancer cells, on the basis of which a personal set of peptides (short sections of proteins) is synthesized. Further, when introduced into the body, these peptides "instruct" the patient's immune system to accurately recognize and destroy tumor cells. As a result, a targeted antitumor response is formed. This minimizes the effect on healthy tissues, which reduces side effects.

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Фото: Freepik

The main task of the peptide therapeutic vaccine is to direct the body's immune system to destroy those cells in whose genes mutations occurred, as a result of which the cells began to multiply uncontrollably. This is a personalized treatment, since the vaccine is created personally for the tumor of a particular person, "says Maria Lagarkova, General Director of the FNCC Physicochemical Medicine named after Yu.M. Lopukhina FMBA of Russia.

As noted, the high efficacy and safety of the vaccine has been confirmed in preclinical studies. The site for the manufacture of the drug is organized on the basis of the named FNCC. The vaccine is intended for use in combination with other types of cancer therapy.^[1]

2024: Vaccine creation

The Federal Biomedical Agency (FMBA) of Russia has completed a full cycle of clinical trials of an innovative vaccine for the treatment of colorectal cancer, the introduction of which into medical practice is scheduled for 2025. The test results of the new drug became known in December 2024.

According to TASS, the head of the FMBA Veronika Skvortsova confirmed her readiness to start the practical use of the developed vaccine against intestinal carcinoma from 2025.

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Фото: Freepik

Now we have fully completed studies on colorectal cancer, this is intestinal carcinoma, and we are ready to start using this vaccine in practice in 2025, "she said on the air of the Russia-24 TV channel.

By the end of 2024, FMBA research teams continue research work on the creation of drugs against other forms of cancer. Particular attention is paid to the development of medicines for the treatment of glioblast - malignant brain tumors, as well as melanomas - an aggressive form of skin cancer.

In parallel with the development of a vaccine against colorectal cancer, agency scientists are working on the creation of personalized oncological drugs, the action of which is based on the individual biological code of the patient. The process of creating such drugs involves several stages: decoding the human genome and its tumor, identifying specific mutations that contribute to the formation and growth of the neoplasm.

An important step in the development of personalized drugs is the study of immunogenic components - peptides to which the immune system of a particular patient responds. Based on the obtained data, an individual drug is created that takes into account the characteristics of the patient's body and the characteristics of the tumor.^[2]

Notes