MOSCOW — Russian medical science has announced a significant leap forward in the fight against cancer with its new, personalized mRNA-based vaccine, Enteromix. According to Russian news outlets and statements from the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA), the vaccine has successfully passed preclinical trials, with developers claiming 100% efficacy and safety. The news has already sparked international interest, with a delegation from Indonesia traveling to Russia to study the findings.
The Science Behind the Breakthrough
Enteromix is being developed by a collaboration between the Russian Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Radiological Centre and the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology. The vaccine’s mechanism is based on cutting-edge mRNA technology, similar to that used in COVID-19 vaccines. Its primary innovation lies in its highly personalized approach. Unlike conventional treatments, Enteromix is designed to be a “customized” therapy, where the vaccine for each patient is tailored to their specific tumor’s RNA profile.
FMBA head Veronika Skvortsova stated that the preclinical results showed remarkable effectiveness, with the vaccine reducing tumor size and slowing growth by 60-80 percent in test cases. The vaccine is also reported to be safe for repeated use and has shown no serious side effects, a major advantage over traditional chemotherapy and radiation therapies.
Clinical Trials and Future Plans
The initial phase of human clinical trials involved 48 volunteers. Russian media sources indicate that the first version of the vaccine is intended for colorectal cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Furthermore, advanced research is underway for versions targeting other aggressive and fast-progressing cancers, including glioblastoma (a difficult-to-treat brain tumor) and specific types of melanoma, including ocular melanoma.
The Russian government has already taken steps to streamline the vaccine’s path to public use. According to Russian news site RTVI, a government decree on the vaccine’s implementation was adopted in early 2025. This aims to allow the vaccine to be used in a clinical setting even before full registration, due to its personalized nature.
International Attention and Cautious Optimism
The promising results have not gone unnoticed by the global scientific and medical community. The Indonesian government, as reported by the news site Tempo.co, has shown significant interest. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin confirmed that a special team has been dispatched to Russia to assess the clinical trials and evaluate if Indonesia could serve as a clinical trial site for the vaccine.
However, many international experts, including those cited by Indian and U.S. media, urge a degree of caution. While the initial results are promising, the small sample size of the initial trial (48 patients) necessitates larger, multi-phase clinical trials to fully validate its efficacy and safety for a broader population. The results also have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, which is a standard step for validating new medical findings.
If Enteromix receives final regulatory clearance and the early results are confirmed, it would not only be a triumph for Russian science but also a major turning point in global oncology, offering a new, side-effect-light treatment paradigm that could save millions of lives.
