The Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) has received permission for the clinical use of the innovative personalized mRNA vaccine "Oncorna" for the treatment of colorectal cancer. This was announced by the head of the agency, Veronika Skvortsova.
The drug has become the second personalized cancer vaccine in the FMBA's portfolio, developed for the treatment of this type of cancer.
"Oncorna" is a biotechnological drug that is created individually for each patient. It is based on matrix RNA, packaged in lipid nanoparticles. It contains information about specific neoantigens — the characteristics of a particular person's tumor.
After the vaccine is injected under the skin, the immune system is activated, and the body's cells begin to recognize and attack the tumor.
According to Skvortsova, preclinical studies have fully confirmed the efficacy and safety of the drug. This made it possible to move on to the stage of clinical use.
The FMBA emphasizes that "Oncorna" is the first domestic vaccine against colorectal cancer based on the mRNA platform.
The drug is intended for adult patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have already undergone two or more lines of anticancer therapy. It can also be used for forms of cancer with microsatellite instability (MSI-H) in combination with checkpoint inhibitors.