Future path4 min read
Personalized cancer vaccines
Cancer treatment vaccines are a type of immunotherapy that treats cancer; personalized ones are made for each patient based on the molecular features of their tumour. Small trials have shown promising results, but larger trials are needed to confirm them.
In 2025 the NCI presented the results of two small trials of neoantigen vaccines: a trial in kidney cancer involving nine patients, and another in pancreatic cancer involving 16 patients. As of January 2022 the FDA had not approved any mRNA vaccine for cancer, although dozens of clinical trials were testing them.
Producing a personalised mRNA cancer vaccine takes one to two months, and among the field's challenges is knowing the best way to identify the neoantigens for each vaccine. One dendritic cell vaccine is approved according to the NCI: sipuleucel-T for some men with advanced prostate cancer. In the trial registry there is a phase III study of an individualised neoantigen therapy (mRNA) with another immunotherapy in high-risk melanoma.
- In widespread clinical use
- Approved for specific uses
- In clinical trials
- Preclinical
- Concept
Personalised neoantigen vaccines are in clinical trials, including phase III trials; we did not find in this page's sources approval of any personalised vaccine so far.
- Dendritic cell vaccine for advanced prostate cancer (sipuleucel-T)Approved for specific uses
Approved to treat some men with advanced prostate cancer.4
- Neoantigen vaccines for kidney and pancreatic cancerIn clinical trials
Two small trials (9 and 16 patients) with promising results that need confirmation in larger trials.1
- Individualised neoantigen therapy (mRNA) with immunotherapy in high-risk melanomaIn clinical trials
A registered phase III study (NCT05933577) that began in July 2023, with an estimated 1,089 participants, and is no longer recruiting new participants according to the registry as read on 8 October 2026.3
Status last checked: · What the maturity levels mean
What is this path?
Cancer treatment vaccines are a type of immunotherapy that treats cancer.
Personalised vaccines are made for each patient according to the specific molecular characteristics of their tumour, including vaccines that rely on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.
Where does the research stand?
In 2025 new immunotherapies for kidney cancer and pancreatic cancer showed promising results in two small clinical trials: the first involved nine patients and the second 16 patients.
As of January 2022 the FDA had not approved any mRNA vaccine for cancer, and dozens of clinical trials were testing therapeutic mRNA vaccines in different types of cancer.
The clinical trial registry shows a phase III study testing an individualised neoantigen therapy with another immunotherapy compared with immunotherapy alone to prevent recurrence of high-risk melanoma.
One dendritic cell vaccine is approved, sipuleucel-T, and it is used to treat some men with advanced prostate cancer.
What separates it from clinical use?
Larger clinical trials are needed — and have already begun — to confirm the early results.
Producing a personalised mRNA cancer vaccine takes one to two months.
Among the field's challenges is knowing the best way to identify the appropriate neoantigens for each personalised vaccine.
Common questions
Is there an approved personalised vaccine for treating cancer that I can ask for?
We did not find in this page's sources approval of any personalised cancer vaccine so far; they are in clinical trials. You can ask your oncologist about trials suitable for your condition, and they decide the treatment plan.13
Questions for your doctor
- Is there a clinical trial of a therapeutic vaccine that suits my cancer type and stage?
- What approved immunotherapy options are there for my condition now?
References
- 1National Cancer Institute (NIH) — Cancer Currents. Neoantigen Vaccines Keep Kidney, Pancreatic Cancer at Bay. www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2025/neoantigen-vaccine-pancreatic-kidney-cancerHealth agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-08
- 2National Cancer Institute (NIH) — Cancer Currents. How mRNA Vaccines Might Help Treat Cancer. www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2022/mrna-vaccines-to-treat-cancerHealth agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-08
- 3ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. NIH). Study record NCT05933577 — phase 3 study of an individualized neoantigen mRNA therapy with immunotherapy in high-risk melanoma. clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05933577Health agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-08
- 4National Cancer Institute (NIH). Cancer Treatment Vaccines. www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/immunotherapy/cancer-treatment-vaccinesHealth agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-08
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Educational content only — no diagnosis, and no substitute for a clinician.