Cancer vaccine for women to be available in six months; check details 

A vaccine to combat cancers affecting women will be available within the next five to six months, Union Minister of State for Health, Family Welfare and Ayush Prataprao Jadhav announced on Tuesday. The vaccine will be administered to girls between the ages of nine and 16 as part of the government’s initiative to address the rising number of cancer cases in the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jadhav stated that research on the vaccine is nearly complete, with trials currently underway. "The number of cancer patients has increased in the country, and the Central government has initiated steps to address this issue. Women above 30 will undergo screening at hospitals, and daycare cancer centres will be established for early detection of the disease," he said.

The minister confirmed that the vaccine will target breast, oral, and cervical cancers. Additionally, the government has waived customs duty on medicines used in cancer treatment to make them more affordable. 

Jadhav also addressed the government's efforts to integrate traditional medicine into healthcare. He stated that Ayush departments have been set up in hospitals nationwide, with 12,500 such facilities currently operational, and more being established.

Meanwhile, in December 2024, Russia announced a groundbreaking development in cancer treatment with the creation of an mRNA-based vaccine designed to treat cancer patients. The revolutionary vaccine, set to be launched in early 2025, will be distributed free of cost to Russian citizens, according to state-run media reports.

The personalised vaccine, which uses genetic material derived from a patient’s tumour, will cost the state approximately 300,000 rubles (USD 2,869) per dose. The announcement was made by Andrey Kaprin, head of the Radiology Medical Research Centre of the Ministry of Health. "This vaccine aims to treat cancer patients rather than prevent tumour formation,” Kaprin stated.

The Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology detailed the sophisticated process involved in producing the vaccine. "Now it takes quite a long time to build [personalised vaccines] because computing using a vaccine, or customised mRNA, should look like using matrix methods, in mathematical terms. We have involved the Ivannikov Institute, which will rely on AI in doing this math, namely neural network computing, where these procedures should take about half an hour to an hour," Alexander Gintsburg explained in an interview with TASS.

The vaccine uses components of the patient's tumour to train the immune system to identify and attack cancer cells. It helps the body recognise unique proteins, known as antigens, found on the surface of cancer cells. Once introduced, these antigens stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies, enabling it to target and destroy cancer cells effectively.