At the start of 2025, China's first Messenger RNA-Dendritic Cell (mRNA-DC) tumor vaccine for primary Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) began enrolling patients in a Phase I Clinical Trial (CT) at Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University. The milestone marks a significant step forward for China's mRNA therapeutic vaccine development.

GBM is one of the most aggressive primary malignancies of the central nervous system. Its rapid growth, invasive nature, and resistance to treatment have earned it the grim label of "the new king of cancers." According to China's National Health Commission, the annual incidence of glioma in the country is 5–8 per 100,000 people, and its 5-year mortality rate ranks second only to pancreatic and lung cancers. Recurrence is nearly universal—occurring at any time and in virtually 100% of cases—and no standardized chemotherapy exists for post-standard-of-care recurrence.

The investigational therapy, "Survivin-Targeting Dendritic Cell (DC) Cell Injection," was developed by tricision over eight years of dedicated Research and Development (R&D). It is the first mRNA-DC therapeutic cancer vaccine to receive Clinical Trial (CT) clearance from the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Early exploratory data indicate that the product can significantly extend patient survival.

Published results from a 2020 study in Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy showed that GBM patients receiving the vaccine had a median Overall Survival (OS) improvement of 8 months compared to standard care. For Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastases, the OS benefit was 10 months.

A 2023 paper in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis further reported that one patient treated with the vaccine survived more than 5 years—a remarkable outcome for this highly fatal disease.

Beyond its clinical promise, the vaccine represents a foundational advance for China's biopharmaceutical sector: it is the country's first mRNA therapeutic vaccine to enter clinical development, and it establishes a framework for DC-based cell therapy that could catalyze the broader Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) industry.

tricision's approach is underpinned by triVAC, a proprietary mRNA modification technology that enhances the presentation of Tumor-Associated Antigens (TAAs) to immune effector cells—including killer T cells, helper T cells, and B cells—thereby overcoming the traditional druggability hurdles of TAAs. To date, only tricision and BioNTech have advanced TAA-targeting mRNA-modified cancer vaccines into registered clinical trials globally.

In recognition of its potential, triVAC received the Excellence Award at the Ministry of Science and Technology's 2022 National Disruptive Technology Innovation Competition. The technology is also central to tricision's proprietary "Tumor Antigen Expression Profile of the Chinese Population," a library now containing over 100 tumor antigens that will support the development of multi-antigen, multi-cancer product candidates.