ŠKRBIĆ: RUSSIAN CANCER VACCINE - NEW TREATMENT APPROACH

BANJA LUKA, MAY 24 /SRNA/ - Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Banja Luka Ranko Škrbić has told SRNA that the Russian Sirius University and the Gamaleya Institute have expressed willingness for including Republika Srpska in the testing process of a new Russian melanoma vaccine, adding that this represents a new treatment approach.

Škrbić says he attended a major biotechnology conference held by Sirius University in Sochi, where the testing of the new vaccine is in its final stage of registration. "This is a new type of treatment and approach to cancer therapy that is tailored to each individual patient," Škrbić emphasized. He explained that, up to now, the protocol was to use mass-produced medicines for all cancer patients. "The new vaccine involves the preparation of a so-called messenger RNA /mRNA/ vaccine, similar in principle to those developed by Moderna and Pfizer, but of a completely different nature," Škrbić stated. According to him, once Republika Srpska receives the protocols for preparation, i.e. genetic sequencing and tumor tissue analysis, it could begin preparing its own patients and sending results to Russia, where individualized medicine would be produced for each of them. "This is not a drug that sits on a shelf, ready to be administered. It must be specially prepared for each individual patient," Škrbić pointed out. He has added that the Gamaleya Institute has also been developing a new group of antibiotics for the past ten years, which have shown no development of resistance. Škrbić says the new antibiotic will be intended for severe cases of sepsis, pneumonia, and pathogens that have so far been resistant to all known antibiotics. "This is a chance for all seriously ill patients in infectious disease wards," Škrbić said. He expressed hope that cooperation with Russia in this field will deepen. The creator of the melanoma vaccine is the director of the Gamaleya Institute, Alexander Gintsburg, who also developed the personalized mRNA cancer vaccine tailored to each specific tumor and patient. Gintsburg, who also created the Sputnik V vaccine, recently met in Moscow with the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, to discuss the potential application of the melanoma vaccine in Republika Srpska.