Collaboration Aims to Accelerate Personalised Cancer Therapy Development. 

Researchers are using AI and mRNA to train the immune system to identify and target tumour mutations, ultimately destroying cancer cells. An international collaboration of scientists announced in 2000 had a blueprint of life, believed to be a new and more precise therapy for diseases based on a person's genetic makeup. Treatment developed for some diseases through the pace of discovery and therapeutic development has not met those early expectations. 

Researchers at the University of Arizona Centre for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies (CAMI) want to accelerate progress for a range of cancers. Establishment of a team-up with Quantoom Biosciences, a Belgium-based life sciences technology company, to develop a novel cancer vaccine framework.  

According to Towards Healthcare, the Personalised Cancer Vaccine Market is projected to experience significant growth, with estimates suggesting the market size will increase from USD 4.99 billion in 2026 to approximately USD 23.32 billion by 2035, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.7% from 2026 to 2035. Growth is driven by the reflecting a substantial rise in the disease burden and the need for advanced therapies such as personalised immunotherapies. These technological advancements allow the development of highly individualised vaccines designed to stimulate precise immune responses against cancer cells. 

Associate director of CAMI and a co-leader of the project, Ryan Sprissler, said Cancer is not a homogeneous disease. Precision oncology drugs work for a small percentage of patients, and when they stop working, it is nearly impossible to use the same treatment again. The immune system, however, is always working. We need better cancer treatments, and immunotherapies hold tremendous, unrealised promise. 

The path to a cancer vaccine 

CAMI scientists create vaccine candidates by identifying specific mutated tumour proteins called neoantigens, which are unique to each cancer. Neoantigens have the potential to trigger an immune response against cancer, acting like an alarm system that alerts the immune system to the presence of a threat. 

Member of BIO5 Institute, Sprissler, said CAMI scientists will feed cancer mutations into an artificial intelligence algorithm to select neoantigen candidates most likely to be effective therapeutic targets. He can develop a prediction algorithm that tells which are most likely to form a stable antigen-presentation complex. 

A recent report by Towards Healthcare highlights that the Personalised Cancer Vaccine Market is witnessing growth due to the highly promising, driven by rapid advances in precision medicine, mRNA technology, and tumor genomics. Increasing investment in cancer immunotherapy and the expanding pipeline of personalised vaccine patients are expected to accelerate market growth over the next decade. 

North America continues to lead due to advanced infrastructure, high digital adoption, and strong investment capabilities. Europe follows closely, supported by robust industrial ecosystems, technological innovation, and favourable regulatory frameworks.  

Asia-Pacific is rapidly gaining momentum with accelerated industrialisation, urbanisation, and supportive government initiatives. Latin America and the Middle East are also showing promising growth trends, driven by increasing digital adoption and emerging investment opportunities.