Russia and China expand cooperation in personalised cancer treatment

Scientists from Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University and medical specialists in China have agreed to strengthen cooperation on personalised cancer treatments using cutting-edge cell technologies and genome editing. The agreement was reached during a working visit by experts from Sechenov University’s Institute of Personalised Oncology to major university hospitals in Shanghai, according to the university’s portal. 

As part of the visit, the Russian delegation held meetings at Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, which is affiliated with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, as well as at a national centre responsible for the standardisation and quality control of cell technologies. The talks focused on China’s hands-on experience in developing personalised anti-cancer vaccines and applying innovative cell-based therapies in clinical practice.

According to Marina Sekacheva, Director of the Institute of Personalised Oncology, China is demonstrating progress in areas such as cell therapy and genome editing. She noted that Chinese clinics are already producing personalised anti-cancer medicines using patients’ own immune cells, supported by a state-run quality control system that allows these approaches to be scaled up safely.

In addition, the university has successfully completed preclinical trials of Russia’s first immunoengineered cell therapy for forms of breast cancer resistant to standard treatment, using TCR-T technology. 

The source states that the visit concluded with agreements to jointly study a Chinese-developed immuno-oncology drug for nasopharyngeal and oesophageal cancers, which is now being introduced at Sechenov University’s Clinical Centre, and to prepare a memorandum covering future research and educational collaboration.

Photo: ultramansk / iStock