Russia close to ‘cancer vaccines’ – Putin

The president hinted at “science fiction”-level achievement at an event in Moscow

Russian medical scientists are working on vaccines against cancer and a new generation of medication, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

Speaking about the state of Russian medical science at the Future Technologies Forum in Moscow, Putin pointed out that enormous strides have been made in early detection and treatment of cancer, leading to higher survival rates.

“I will also add that we have come close to creating so-called onco-vaccines, vaccines against cancer, and immunomodulatory drugs of a new generation. And I hope that soon they will be effectively used as methods of individual therapy,” he said. 

According to the president, more than half of all cancer cases in Russia are detected in the early stages, where the prognosis is the most favorable. He also pledged to continue funding medical research and development at the necessary levels.

Putin described the medical advancements he was shown at the forum as “some kind of science fiction.”

“Even just a little while ago, we could only read about such things in the works of fantasy fiction, but today all of this is becoming reality. All these areas are now just gaining momentum, and are expected to produce a real revolution in medicine in the near future,” he said.

One of the inventions is a special chip that can restore a person’s sight if implanted into the brain. The technology is currently undergoing clinical trials.

Advances in the field of medicine, prevention and treatment are valuable in and of themselves, but they require the participation of other fields of industry to be fully utilized by the Russian society, Putin said. Therefore, Moscow views these key areas of industry as projects of national importance, and is looking to build the entire industrial process – from the foundations and applications to production and training of highly qualified workers – as an integrated chain.