Updated: 1 day ago
Medically reviewed by Dr Eric Wang-ChinaCureLink Team
Introduction
China has become one of the busiest places in the world to test cancer vaccines. Everest Medicines' personalized mRNA vaccine EVM16 triggered tumor-specific T-cell responses in 8 of 9 patients with advanced cancer in its first study. Likang's LK101 was the first personalized neoantigen mRNA vaccine cleared for trials by China's drug regulator, and later by the US FDA. And since 1 May 2026, a new national regulation has given tumor vaccines a dedicated legal route from hospital research into clinical use.
For an international patient, the challenge is knowing which studies are open, which route each one sits on, and what a vaccine trial asks for that other trials do not. This guide explains how to apply for cancer vaccine clinical trials in China, step by step.
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Table of Contents
Three Routes to a Cancer Vaccine in China
Patients often treat every vaccine program as a "trial". In China there are three distinct routes, each with different rules and costs.
For the separate DC therapy pathway, see the guide to personalized dendritic cell vaccine therapy in China. Asking about that pathway is separate from applying to a clinical trial.
Knowing the route tells the patient what to expect on eligibility, consent and cost before applying. The pilot-zone route is covered in ChinaCureLink's guide on how to book a personalized cancer vaccine consultation.
Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trials in China in 2026
The studies below were active or newly registered in 2025 to 2026. Enrolment status changes often, and each study decides for itself whether it accepts international patients.
EBV-targeted vaccines are covered in more depth in ChinaCureLink's guide to the EBV cancer vaccine in China.
Eligibility Requirements Specific to Vaccine Trials
Vaccine trials share the usual cancer-trial checks on organ function and general health, but add requirements of their own:
Tumor tissue. Personalized vaccines are designed from the patient's tumor. EVM16, for example, requires patients to provide stored or fresh tumor tissue for vaccine production.
Surgery timing. Some studies, such as the Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital study, enrol patients only before their operation so fresh tissue can be kept.
A measurable tumor, or none at all. Studies in advanced disease, including EVM16 and the Boao Evergrande study, require at least one tumor measurable on a scan. Studies after surgery enrol patients with no visible tumor left.
A working immune system. Long-term steroids, immunosuppressants, active autoimmune disease and previous donor stem cell transplants commonly rule patients out.
Time for manufacturing. Expected survival must be longer than the time needed to make the vaccine. The Boao Evergrande study, for example, requires an expected survival of at least three months.
Washout from earlier treatment. Most studies require a gap since the last cancer treatment, such as at least two weeks in the Boao Evergrande study.
Age limits. Some studies cap age; the Boao Evergrande study enrols patients aged 18 to 70.
Applying for a Cancer Vaccine Trial Step by Step
Settle tissue and timing first. Find out where the patient's tumor tissue is stored and when it was collected, and whether a surgery or biopsy is planned.
Identify open studies. Search ClinicalTrials.gov, the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) and China's drug trial registration platform, then confirm with the trial site that the study is enrolling and accepts international patients.
Send translated records for pre-screening. The site checks pathology, imaging, treatment history and blood tests against the protocol.
Check legitimacy. Ask for the registration number, the ethics committee approval and, for Order 818 research, the hospital's filing.
Attend screening in China. Screening usually includes scans, blood tests and collection or review of tumor tissue. DC-based vaccines such as LK101 also need leukapheresis, a procedure that collects white blood cells from which the dendritic cells are grown.
Wait for manufacturing. Sequencing, vaccine design and production take time, and the protocol states what treatment continues meanwhile.
Receive doses and attend follow-up. Vaccines are given as a series of doses, often combined with immunotherapy, followed by regular scans.
Documents, consent and visa steps that apply to every Chinese trial are set out in ChinaCureLink's guide on how to join a cancer clinical trial in China.
How to Check That a Vaccine Trial Is Legitimate
A registration number. NMPA drug trials have a CTR number on China's drug trial registration platform, and many also appear on ClinicalTrials.gov.
An ethics committee approval from the hospital running the study.
The right kind of hospital. Under Order 818, clinical research on biomedical new technologies can only take place in Grade 3A hospitals with academic and ethics committees.
No research fees. Order 818 bars sponsors and hospitals from charging participants for biomedical new-technology research. A "trial" that asks for a large up-front fee for the vaccine itself needs careful questions.
A written protocol and consent form that the patient's home oncologist can review before signing.
Case Studies: Patients in Chinese Vaccine Studies
A Partial Response After Three Failed Treatments
One of the first patients treated in the EVM16 study had gastroesophageal junction cancer that had progressed through three earlier lines of treatment. After the personalized mRNA vaccine combined with tislelizumab, the tumor shrank enough to count as a confirmed partial response, and the cancer did not progress for 126 days.
Liver Cancer Patients After Ablation
In an earlier study at the Chinese PLA General Hospital, 24 patients with liver cancer were assigned to ablation alone or ablation plus the LK101 vaccine. All vaccinated patients developed at least one measurable immune response to their tumor's neoantigens, and side effects were mild (grade 1 to 2).
How International Patients Can Apply for Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trials in China
1. Through ChinaCureLink, the dedicated international patient pathway. ChinaCureLink represents the patient, not a sponsor or hospital, and takes no commission from hospitals. There is no fee to apply. After a free advisory call, ChinaCureLink checks the patient's tissue, timing and treatment history against open vaccine studies and the Boao Lecheng options, then compares up to three suitable choices. The patient selects one, and ChinaCureLink arranges a video discussion with that team. If the patient proceeds, ChinaCureLink coordinates screening, records and translation, hospital communication, travel and support in China. More detail is in cancer clinical trial matching in China.
2. Directly through the trial site. Registry entries list investigators and sometimes contact details. Patients can write to the site's research office, although replies are often in Chinese.
3. Through a home oncologist. An oncologist with research contacts in China can sometimes ask an investigator whether a patient might qualify.
What to Expect When Applying Directly
Registry entries go out of date. A study listed as recruiting may have closed a cohort or paused enrolment.
International enrolment is decided study by study. Some protocols accept only patients who can attend long-term follow-up in China.
Chinese-language screening. Consent forms, protocol summaries and reports are usually in Chinese.
Tissue logistics. Sending stored tumor samples abroad, or arranging a new biopsy in China, must be agreed with the site before travel.
Long stays. Screening, manufacturing and the first doses can span several weeks.
ChinaCureLink replies to new case enquiries within 10 minutes. A preliminary case review checks the patient's records and tumor tissue against open cancer vaccine studies in China, and identifies up to three realistic options before any travel.
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Get a Second Opinion
For suitable cases, ChinaCureLink can then coordinate an online consultation with the specialist to discuss the technical treatment details directly. The purpose is to help the patient understand which treatment option and which specialist center may be most appropriate before making an international treatment decision.
What Patients Say About ChinaCureLink & Medebound HEALTH
China CureLink operates under Medebound HEALTH — an internationally recognized healthcare navigation company incorporated in New York, with operations across North America and Asia-Pacific.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can foreigners join cancer vaccine clinical trials in China?
Some can. Each study decides whether it accepts international patients, often depending on whether the patient can attend follow-up visits in China. Confirming this with the trial site is the first step.
Do cancer vaccine trials in China cost money?
It depends on the route. Drug trials set costs in their protocol, and sponsors often cover the investigational vaccine. Under Order 818, hospital research on biomedical new technologies may not charge participants for the research itself. Vaccines used in the Boao Lecheng pilot zone are self-pay treatment, not trials.
Where can I find cancer vaccine clinical trials in China?
On ClinicalTrials.gov, the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) and China's drug trial registration platform. Listings change often, so enrolment status should be confirmed with the trial site.
Do I need tumor tissue to apply for a cancer vaccine trial?
For personalized vaccine trials, yes. Off-the-shelf vaccines such as EVM14 target antigens shared by many patients and may not need the patient's tissue for manufacturing.
About ChinaCureLink
ChinaCureLink helps patients across the world access the best cancer treatment at China's top hospitals, without the delays, language barriers, and administrative confusion that typically come with seeking care abroad.
We connect patients directly with China's top cancer hospitals, ensuring that from the first case submission through to treatment and follow-up, every step is guided, translated, and coordinated by a team experienced in cross-border patient care.
ChinaCureLink is proudly affiliated with Medebound HEALTH — founded by US physicians, with over 10 years of experience and more than 3,000 patients served worldwide, Medebound HEALTH is recognized by Forbes and it is one of the most trusted patient cross-border concierge service company across North America and the Asia Pacific.
References
ClinicalTrials.gov. EVM16 injection as a single agent and in combination with tislelizumab in solid tumors (NCT06541639). https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06541639
MedTech Spectrum. Everest Medicines announces positive first-in-human data for personalised mRNA cancer vaccine EVM16 at AACR 2026. https://www.medtechspectrum.com/news/65/25482/everest-medicines-announces-positive-first-in-human-data-for-personalised-mrna-cancer-vaccine-evm16-at-aacr-2026.html
Beijing Municipal Government. Beijing-based company's self-developed vaccine approved for clinical trials in US, 2025. https://english.beijing.gov.cn/latest/news/202502/t20250217_4012556.html
ASCO. First-in-human study of a personalized neoantigen-based mRNA-loaded dendritic cell vaccine with ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma (NCT03674073). https://ace.asco.org/content/444366/abstract/235284
ACN Newswire. Everest Medicines announces first patient enrolled in global phase I trial of EVM14, 2025. https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/103089/
State Council of the PRC. Order No. 818: Regulations on the Administration of Clinical Research and Clinical Translation of Biomedical New Technologies (effective 1 May 2026). https://www.ncsti.gov.cn/zcfg/flfg/202510/t20251011_221539.html
Health Industry Network. Order 818, Article 20: no fees charged to participants, May 2026. https://www.cn-healthcare.com/articlewm/20260508/content-1671837.html
Hangzhou News. Patients with six digestive cancers can access custom vaccines, 24 June 2026. https://hznews.hangzhou.com.cn/kejiao/content/2026-06/24/content_9244080.htm
Pharnexcloud. Personalized tumor neoantigen vaccine study at Boao Evergrande International Hospital (registry entry). https://www.pharnexcloud.com/data/lcsy_d5c27b3eb16444b50eef7291fd4b68d7.html
Pharnexcloud. iNATURE-GCOG0028 trial at HKU-Shenzhen Hospital selected for ESMO 2026, October 2026. https://www.pharnexcloud.com/zixun/shiye/lcyj_384445
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical or financial advice. Treatment eligibility, protocols, and costs vary by individual case — confirm specifics with a coordinator and treating physician before making any decisions.
