Global Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market 2025 – 2034

Reports Description

As per the Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market analysis conducted by the CMI Team, the global Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market is expected to record a CAGR of 27.7% from 2025 to 2034. In 2025, the market size is projected to reach a valuation of USD 1.64 Billion. By 2034, the valuation is anticipated to reach USD 14.80 Billion.

Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Overview

Peptide cancer vaccines are a type of immunotherapy designed to stimulate a patient’s immune system to identify and attack cancer cells. Using tumor-associated peptides, which are short chains of amino acids that induce T-cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells that express the peptides, peptide vaccines identify cancer cells in a more specific manner than existing therapies such as chemotherapy or radiation. Peptide vaccines produce fewer side effects and can impart long-term immunity against recurrence. Peptide vaccines can also be personalized for an individual’s tumor profile.

The peptide cancer vaccine market is quickly gaining traction as cancer rates increase globally and investments in immuno-oncology (IO) rise, in addition, personalized medicine is taking a prominent seat in cancer therapy. Technological advances in peptide synthesis, delivery, and antigen targeting ability helped pepper studies with peptide vaccines for clinical development and production.

Currently clinical trial candidates are being advanced by major players in the space including Imugene, Generex Biotechnology, BrightPath Biotherapeutics, Sellas, and TapImmune. As regulatory bodies show increased support and collaborations between biotech and research continue to expand, the peptide cancer vaccines sector is fast growing as a new frontier in cancer treatment.

Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Key Growth Drivers

The Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Trends have tremendous growth opportunities due to several reasons:

• Increasing Cancer Rates Worldwide: The rising incidence of cancer globally is providing momentum for new therapies, including peptide cancer vaccines. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that cancer is still one of the largest contributors to death, with approximately 9.6 million in 2018, and still trending upwards at a frightening rate. In response to this urgent need, Sellas Life Sciences is working on its peptide vaccine candidate, galinpepimut-S (GPS), which is designed to target the Wilms Tumor 1 (WT1) protein that is frequently overexpressed in multiple cancers. Sellas has obtained Orphan Drug Designations from the U.S. The majority of the peptide based vaccines have received regulatory approval by the FDA and EMA for many cancer indications and it is well established that GPS has tremendous potential in cancer treatment.

• Improved Peptide Synthesis: Improved peptide synthesis technologies, including SPPS and automated peptide synthesizers, have improved the efficacy, efficiency, scalability, consistency and cost-effectiveness of vaccine production. These technologies simplify the production process and help to develop more precise peptide vaccines. The company BrightPath Biotherapeutics is using these developments for BP1209, a fully personalized neoantigen vaccine patient. BrightPath has made substantial progress in formulating BP1209 in non-clinical studies. BrightPath is expected to file BP1209 for clinical study soon. These events speak to an increase in opportunity for peptide vaccines in tailored cancer treatment.

• Increased R&D Investment in Immuno-oncology: The R&D funding in immuno-oncology is increasing and this has positive implications for peptide living cancer vaccines. Both governmental and private investments into researching the immune system’s capacity for oncological treatment are increasing, thereby accelerating innovation and clinical trials. Marker Therapeutics (previously TapImmune) has emerged as a key innovator in the space, with peptide health potency vaccines in conditions across multiple forms of cancer treatment— these innovations have gathered considerable funding to support a therapeutic pipeline in immunotherapy. These trends suggest an increase in the confidence in immune-based treatments. Formulated peptide vaccines for cancer therapy as forms of immunotherapy, are particularly exciting.

Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Key Threats

The Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market has several primary threats that will influence its profitability and future development. Some of the threats are:

• High Cost of Development and Trials: Peptide cancer vaccines require quite a capital outlay, and a considerable amount of that capital is related to research, clinical trials, regulatory review costs, etc. The scale of the investment for research and development in peptide vaccines can be a substantial barrier, particularly for smaller biotech companies that are trying to commercialize new therapies. One example of a company that expressed a financial challenge is BrightPath Biotherapeutics, which had a net loss of 1,168 million yen for the year ending March 2024 attributed to considerable R&D expenditures. This is a significant indicator of the financial burden associated with vaccine development. To continue to move forward, BrightPath is seeking to raise additional financial resources. These kinds of examples demonstrate the financial risks involved. Innovation versus sustainability continues to be an important issue.

• Regulatory Uncertainty Across Regions: Regulatory uncertainty is still a major challenge in the development of peptide cancer vaccines, as regional requirements can differ dramatically. This uncertainty could lead to delays in development and limit speed to market. Companies must adjust to one of many forms of regulatory frameworks, which leads to both money and time use. Some companies are clearly thinking strategically in advancing their development initiatives. Sellas Life Sciences for example received Orphan Drug Designations by both the FMDA and EMA regulatory bodies for their peptide vaccine candidate, GPS. These forms of designation assist in moving through the regulator’s process while providing development incentive aspects too. These milestones help reduce uncertainty and potentially speed deadlines to approval. Global regulatory variability remain crucial hindrances.

Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Opportunities

• Expansion into Emerging Markets: Emerging markets represent a large opportunity for the use of peptide cancer vaccines due to the increased cancer burden, along with new and evolving health care systems and the increased need for new and innovative cancer treatments. There is an increasing demand for better and more accessible cancer treatment options in emerging markets. With increased awareness and consequent diagnosis of cancer, there also exists the opportunity for innovative treatments, including peptide vaccines. Sellas Life Sciences is exploring clinical development opportunities for an investigational peptide vaccine candidate, GPS, in emerging markets. This will enable Sellas Life Sciences to focus on the increased cancer burden in emerging markets. These expanded markets will allow for increased access of patients to innovative therapies and will allow for additional clinical data to be generated. It will also lead to an increased interest in international and inclusive health care solutions.

• Artificial Intelligence for Antigen Prediction: Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing antigen and vaccine prediction for peptide cancer vaccines by fostering new avenues of increased precision and personalization. The application of AI allows for rapid analysis of tumor profiles and patient-specific antigens before giving an investigational vaccine. Using a more precise target antigen will enhance targeting and efficacy of the vaccine. AI advancements are indicative of the significantly larger shift towards personalized cancer immunotherapy. Imugene Ltd. is addressing this increased change by exploring explicit utilization of AI to predict potential antigens that the peptide vaccine candidates will utilize. By using tumor specific characteristics for informed individual treatment selection, it is expected Imugene can improve the clinical outcomes. AI informed decisions will also speed up design and vaccine development timeframes; this is a paradigm shift in immuno-oncology. This signifies the increasing collaboration of biotech and advanced data science.

Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Category Wise Insights

By Type

• Multivalent Peptide Vaccine: Multivalent peptide vaccines are next-generation immunotherapies that have many antigenic peptides that target many tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) or neoantigens. The multivalent nature of a vaccine is intended to create at least a larger and potentially more potent immune response to increase the vaccine efficacy against tumor cells, where many tumor cells can be diverse and heterogeneous. A notable example is ELI-007 by Elicio Therapeutics, which consists of the lymph node-targeted Amphiphile (AMP) platform with peptides derived from BRAF gene mutations. Sending peptides directly to the lymph node improves antigen presentation and T-cell activation. Events to activate T-cells are essential for an anti-tumor response to occur and sustain clinical benefit. Preclinical data for ELI-007 in 2023 and in 2024 showed a significant CD8+ T-cell activation and suppression of tumors. Elicio Therapeutics has been through early clinical trial phases and has presented what appear to be favorable announcements for safety and immunogenicity. Additionally, it also appears that they may be aiming to enhance the cancer vaccine effectiveness with their platform across tumor types.

• Peptide Cocktail Vaccines: Peptide cocktail vaccines utilize peptides from several tumor-associated antigens (TAA). The potential advantage of peptide cocktails is that they can address multiple tumor markers at the same time. Peptide cocktail vaccines: Peptide cocktail vaccines use peptides from multiple tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). The potential benefit of peptide cocktail vaccines is that they can presumably engage several tumor markers at once. A multi-peptide approach will reduce tumor immune evasion by acknowledging tumor heterogeneity and promoting immune recognition of a wider variety of cancer cell variants. The primary objective is a strong T-cell response, particularly of the CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, to create improved treatment efficacy and durability. A recent publication in 2023, in Nature Communications, described a six-peptide, cocktail vaccine targeting melanoma antigens with HLA-DR Class II molecules which was shown to elicit Th1-dominant CD4+ T-cell responses in most patients.

• Personalized Peptide Vaccines: Personalized peptide vaccines are individualized cancer therapies developed from neoantigens derived from the genome sequencing of a person’s tumor. As a form of vaccination, these personalized peptide vaccines provoke a targeted immune response against cancer cells and spare the normal tissue. In 2023, BioNTech teamed up with the UK government to move this area forward and committed to a, minimum, USD 1.3 billion investment over the next ten years. As part of the collaboration, by the year 2030, up to 10,000 patients will be enrolled in clinical trials of personalized trial immunotherapies based on the profile of each patient’s tumor. This collaboration represents an important milestone in advances towards providing scalable and individualized approaches and disseminating and promoting precision based oncology as a result of a government and industry partnership.

• Peptide-Pulsed Dendritic Cancer Vaccine: Peptide-pulsed dendritic cancer vaccines are intriguing vaccines that utilize a patient’s own dendritic cells exposed ex vivo to tumor-specific peptides which mediate an immune attack against cancer. The dendritic cells function as the most effective antigen-presenting cells in the human body, training the immune system, including cytotoxic T lymphocytes, to recognize tumor cells that present specific immunogenic peptides, and destroy them. Importantly, in a recent study published in Frontiers in Immunology (2023), researchers examined the safety and efficacy of a CDCA1 peptide pulsed DC vaccine on patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). These patients developed specific CTL responses and median overall survival (OS) was 11 months, which is impressive, and the treatment was well tolerated. This study suggests that peptide-pulsed dendritic cancer vaccines can be a powerful, focused immunotherapy, particularly in challenging cancers like CRPC.

• Hybrid Peptide Vaccine: Hybrid peptide vaccines represent a new direction in immunotherapy that combines tumor specific peptides with immunostimulatory agents like adjuvants or unique delivery systems to actuate the immune response. They are strategically combined to enhance the presentation of antigens and stimulate a stronger and more durable T-cell response to eliminate cancer cells. Most recently, it was reported that scientists created a thermosensitive hydrogel-encapsulated hybrid peptide vaccine for breast cancer. Based on a publication in 2023, the science team described this implantable nano-vaccine as capable of inducing an extended local immune response when implanted into the tumor resection bed and significantly (>95%) limiting both tumor recurrence and lung metastases in preclinical mouse models. This exciting advance highlights the therapeutic promise of hybrid peptide platforms for preventing cancer relapses and improving post-surgical treatment.

By Application

• Breast Cancer: Breast cancer peptide vaccines are designed to stimulate the immune system by targeting tumor-specific antigens present on breast cancer cells, helping the body recognize and eliminate malignant cells. These vaccines serve as both adjuvant therapies to prevent recurrence and treatments for advanced disease stages. Recent clinical trials have focused on dendritic cell (DC)-based peptide vaccines for patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. These trials demonstrated the vaccines’ ability to induce immune responses against tumor-associated antigens like HER2 and MUC1. In particular, some studies reported improved progression-free survival and tolerable safety profiles. The encouraging outcomes support the continued development of peptide vaccines as a complementary approach in breast cancer immunotherapy.

• Lung Cancer:  The purpose of lung cancer peptide vaccines is to activate the immune system to recognize and act against lung cancer-specific antigens (the goal is to arrest tumor growth and improve patient survival). Lung cancer peptide vaccines direct immune cells to recognize cancer-specific proteins and augment the body’s inherent method for resisting malignancy. Notably, a recent advancement funded by Cancer Research UK is the launch of LungVax, which is the first lung cancer vaccine that has been developed by researchers at Oxford University, University College London, and the Francis Crick Institute. The USD 2.3 million project aims to train the immune system to home in on cancerous proteins that decorate lung cells that are actively funded that could prevent or slow down early stage lung cancer. LungVax is projected to cover up to 90% of lung cancer cases and offers hope to particularly high-risk groups, such as middle-aged smokers.

• Melanoma: Melanoma peptide vaccines target specific antigens on melanoma cells that are on the surface of the melanoma cells that will stimulate a productive immune response to recognize and destroy these malignant cells. This kind of vaccine is particularly helpful in preventing recurrence after surgical removal of a melanoma tumor because it teaches the immune system to discover any residual malignant cells. In a recent clinical trial in the UK has quite possibly ushered in the dawn of work with mRNA-4157 (V940), the world’s first personalized mRNA cancer vaccine made for melanoma, from the company Moderna in collaboration with Merck Sharp and Dohme. This Phase 3 trial will enroll just over 1,100 patients each being treated with a personalized vaccine based on each individual’s tumor profile to increase the immune system’s recognition of the tumor as well as prevent their cancer from coming back to such an extent that it significantly reduces their chances of dying from the cancer after surgery. Some patients will receive just a placebo allowing investigators to fully evaluate the mRNA-4157 vaccine for safety and efficacy in a larger cohort of patients.

• Prostate Cancer: Prostate cancer peptide vaccines are antibodies that target prostate cancer antigens, thereby activating the immune system to recognize and attack metastatic prostate cancer cells. They will be used at different intervals of treatment and at different stages of disease, including forms that have become castration resistant. The hTERT peptide vaccine (UV1) has recently been evaluated with 22 patients with metastatic hormone naïve prostate cancer. The vaccine was given with granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor, showed very few side effects and demonstrated a good immune response. These results highlight UV1’s potential as a safe and effective immunotherapy for prostate cancer. Further studies are ongoing to confirm its benefits.

Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Impact of Latest Tariff Policies

Recent tariff policies are raising the costs of importing key raw materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), hindering companies within the global Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market. Companies are facing challenges brought about by these rising costs especially smaller biotech companies. The costs associated with production are significant for smaller biotech companies, resulting in slower clinical trials. The tariffs are also disrupting supply chains delaying vaccine development and delivery.

Leading companies are making strategic shifts, moving manufacturing facilities, or investing domestically in production, so they are no longer holding off international loss of trade and tariffs. While these changes reduce long-term dependency on imports, there are more short-term costs, and operational complexity for companies. Larger firms are more capable of repositioning, while smaller companies can struggle to remain competitive.

The added financial stress is diverting the R&D money out of innovation, as company management decides where to spend their money on rising operational costs. This may delay the next major breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy with next-generation vaccine products. With unclear trade policies and little support for biotech innovation the growth of the peptide cancer vaccine market will continue to be hindered.

Report Scope

Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Regional Perspective

The Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market can be divided across different regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. This is a cursory overview of each region:

• North America: North America has historically had a longer tradition of cancer vaccine research than any other region, mainly aided by its better healthcare system and increasing awareness of advances within the Biotech and Pharmaceutical industry to capitalize on its investment into immunotherapy treatments. In May 2025, BioNTech announced that they would be funded £1 billion ($1.33 billion) in the UK for R&D of personalized cancer therapies. This is recent funding from their previous partnership with the UK government setup in 2023, in which they planned to register up to 10,000 patients in clinical trials by 2030 while supporting BioNTech’s expansion in the UK. With this new grant agreement, the UK government would fund up to $0.172 million over the 10 years of R&D under its grant program, where it is well known for supporting cutting edge developments in cancer vaccine funding.

• Europe: Europe is the leading area for the development of cancer vaccines, with Germany, the UK and France, having the majority of the clinical trials and regulatory approvals, with the support of the European Medicines Agency and its efforts to expedite new innovative immunotherapy research. In April of 2025, BioNTech announced an investment of $1.33 billion in partnership with a new UK Government initiative expanding R&D of personalized cancer therapies for the next decade, with the goal of registering up to 10,000 patients in clinical trials by 2030 and expanding BioNTech’s collaborations in the UK. This funding highlights the greater opportunity for Europe to take a leading role in cancer vaccine innovation and the improvement of health care outcomes in immunotherapy treatment.

• Asia-Pacific: Advancements in genomics and biotechnology, among others, are driving the Asia-Pacific region forward in the area of personalized cancer vaccines. The region’s dominant markets, China and Japan, are already investing heavily to position themselves in the global cancer vaccine space, including BioNTech’s announcement in May 2025 of $1.33 billion in investment in the UK to expand its R&D of personalized cancer therapies that include up to 10,000 patients recruited for clinical trials by 2030. The investment formalizes increasing global cooperation, and the Asia-Pacific in particular, is establishing itself as a major force in the development of cancer immunotherapy innovation.

• LAMEA: The LAMEA area is slowly moving forward in its wish to develop cancer vaccines, where Brazil and South Africa are involved in creating forward movement. However, the region has many challenges, including poor healthcare infrastructure and limited funding, which can delay innovation and burn out buy in globally. In May 2025, BioNTech announced an investment of $1.33 billion in the UK in order to increase the research and development of personalized cancer therapies (and plans to enroll up to 10,000 patients in clinical trials by 2030). This indicates that there is growing international interest in the research of cancer vaccines, which LAMEA also wants to capitalize on in spite of their challenges.

Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Key Developments

In recent years, the Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market has experienced several crucial changes as the players in the market strive to grow their geographical footprint and improve their product line and profits by using synergies.

• In March 2024, In Q1 2025, Zelluna ASA completed a pivotal business combination with Ultimovacs ASA, rebranded to ZLNA on the Oslo Stock Exchange, and raised MNOK 51.7 through a private placement. The company advanced its TCR-NK cell therapy platform by scaling and automating its manufacturing process, enabling production of hundreds of doses per batch. With MNOK 135.3 in cash and runway through Q2 2026, Zelluna is well-positioned for clinical entry. It targets solid tumors and expects key clinical and regulatory milestones by late 2025, supported by strong IP that could establish leadership in the TCR-NK space.

• In October 2024, Immatics reported promising updated Phase 1b results for its ACTengine® IMA203 TCR-T therapy targeting PRAME in metastatic melanoma. Among 28 heavily pretreated patients, the treatment achieved a confirmed objective response rate of 54%, a median response duration of 12.1 months, and median progression-free survival of 6 months, all with a favorable safety profile and no treatment-related deaths. Building on this success, Immatics plans to launch a Phase 3 registration trial called “SUPRAME” in December 2024, enrolling 360 patients. The company’s enhanced manufacturing process and its new GMP facility will support both this late-stage trial and future commercialization efforts.

These important changes facilitated the companies’ ability to widen their portfolios, to bolster their competitiveness, and to exploit the possibilities for growth available in the Peptide Cancer Vaccine market. This phenomenon is likely to persist since most companies are struggling to outperform their rivals in the market.

Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Competitive Landscape

The Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market is highly competitive, with a large number of product providers globally. Some of the key players in the market include:

• Imugene
• Generex Biotechnology
• BrightPath Biotherapeutics
• Sellas
• TapImmune
• OncoTherapy Science
• VAXON Biotech
• Boston Biomedical
• Ultimovacs
• Immatics
• ISA Pharmaceuticals
• Others

These firms apply a sequence of strategies to enter the market, including innovations, mergers and acquisitions, as well as collaboration.

The Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market is spearheaded by prominent companies such as Imugene, Generex Biotechnology, BrightPath Biotherapeutics, Sellas, and TapImmune. These industry leaders focus on developing advanced peptide vaccines that stimulate the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. Their portfolios include personalized vaccines, multivalent formulations, and peptide-pulsed dendritic cell vaccines, aiming to provide more effective and tailored cancer treatments.

Recent years have seen significant progress driven by strategic collaborations and funding support. For example, in 2024, TapImmune partnered with major research institutions to develop next-generation peptide vaccines designed to enhance T-cell responses in difficult-to-treat cancers. Imugene received a grant from the U.S. National Cancer Institute in 2023 to support Phase II clinical trials of its HER-Vaxx vaccine targeting gastric cancer, underscoring growing governmental commitment to peptide vaccine research.

Additionally, BrightPath Biotherapeutics expanded its manufacturing capabilities in 2025 to address increasing demand, backed by regulatory approvals from agencies such as the FDA and EMA. This growth is further accelerated by rising government investments in immunotherapy, reinforcing the market’s trajectory toward personalized and more effective cancer vaccines worldwide.

The Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market is segmented as follows:

By Type

• Multivalent Peptide Vaccine
• Peptide Cocktail Type
• Personalized Peptide Vaccine
• Peptide-Pulsed Dendritic Cancer Vaccine
• Hybrid Peptide Vaccine

By Application

• Breast Cancer
• Lung Cancer
• Melanoma
• Prostate Cancer

Regional Coverage:

North America

• U.S.
• Canada
• Mexico
• Rest of North America

Europe

• Germany
• France
• U.K.
• Russia
• Italy
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

• China
• Japan
• India
• New Zealand
• Australia
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Rest of Asia Pacific

The Middle East & Africa

• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Egypt
• Kuwait
• South Africa
• Rest of the Middle East & Africa

Latin America

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Rest of Latin America