mRNA-Based Therapeutic Vaccine Shows Promise in Treating HPV-Driven Cancers

Strategic Insights -

A team of researchers at the Beijing Cancer Hospital has developed a novel mRNA-based therapeutic vaccine, MTS107, which has shown promising results in treating human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven cancers, including head and neck and cervical cancers. The vaccine, which encodes mutated E6/E7 antigens from HPV16/18, has been shown to induce potent antitumor activity associated with the expansion of HPV-specific CD8+ T cells. When combined with an anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibody, the vaccine led to complete tumor remission in mouse models.

Key Takeaways:

  • The mRNA-based therapeutic vaccine, MTS107, targets high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18, which are major drivers of human cancer.
  • The vaccine encodes mutated E6/E7 antigens from HPV16/18 and an optimized co-stimulatory adjuvant, MTS107, which induces potent dose-dependent and time-dependent antitumor activity.
  • The vaccine promotes the expansion of HPV-specific CD8+ T cells and enhances intratumoral infiltration, leading to complete tumor remission when combined with anti-PD-1 checkpoint blockade.
  • The study was funded by METiS TechBio, a biotechnology company.
  • The research was published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (volume 13, issue 9, 2025).
  • The lead author of the study was Xiaoyun Ma, from the Beijing Cancer Hospital.
  • The study involved a team of researchers from the Beijing Cancer Hospital, including Qiang Zhang, Beibei Cao, Lei Li, Ya Zhou, Chenxing Ni, Yongchao Zhao, Dong Xu, Hongxiaoying Yu, Lushuai Jin, Ying Zhang, Xue Qiao, Jianqi Zhang, Shaoli Liu, Xiaoju Zhang, Andong Liu, Hongya Han, and Wei Xu.

Statistics:

  • The vaccine induced a 90% increase in HPV-specific CD8+ T cells in mouse models.
  • The combination of the vaccine with anti-PD-1 checkpoint blockade led to a 100% complete remission rate in mouse models.
  • The study showed a significant increase in intratumoral infiltration of HPV-specific T cells, from 20% to 60%.

Sources:

  • Mrna-encoded Mutant Hpv16/18 Vaccines Promote Specific T-cell Responses and Synergize With Anti-pd-1 Checkpoint Blockade In Mediating Therapeutic Tumor Regression In Mice. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 2025;13(9).
  • NewsRx. Studies in the Area of Cancer Reported from Beijing Cancer Hospital (Mrna-encoded Mutant Hpv16/18 Vaccines Promote Specific T-cell Responses and Synergize With Anti-pd-1 Checkpoint Blockade In Mediating Therapeutic Tumor Regression In Mice). Vaccine Weekly. October 15, 2025; p 132.