Russia has announced a breakthrough in the fight against cancer, with its newly developed vaccine for colorectal cancer deemed “ready for use” after successfully completing years of preclinical trials, according to Veronika Skvortsova, head of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA).

“The research spanned several years, with the last three dedicated to mandatory preclinical studies,” Skvortsova said at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), as reported by Tass. “The vaccine is now ready for use; we are awaiting official approval.”

The preclinical data, she stressed, confirmed not only the vaccine’s safety, even with repeated administration, but also its high efficacy. Researchers reported tumour size reduction and slowed progression in the range of 60% to 80%, depending on disease characteristics, alongside increased survival rates.

The first rollout of the vaccine will target colorectal cancer, but Skvortsova revealed that advanced trials are also underway for vaccines against glioblastoma and certain melanomas, including ocular melanoma.

Cancer vaccines, unlike traditional ones for infections such as measles or chickenpox, are designed to train the immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells. While vaccines already exist for some cancers, such as prostate and bladder, the American Cancer Society notes that new experimental vaccines are opening a promising frontier in oncology.

The announcement was made during the 10th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, which brought together more than 8,400 participants from over 75 countries under the theme “The Far East: Cooperation for Peace and Prosperity.”