Disclosed are antigen specific cancer vaccines in which immunogenic epitopes are produced intracellularly by administration of modified mRNA encoding said immunogenic epitopes. In one embodiment of the invention, said modified mRNA encodes peptides derived from the protein survivin. By directly inducing gene expression of the antigens to which an immune response is desired, immunogenic peptides are generated intracellularly, thus allowing for a wider repertoire of epitopes to be presented to the adaptive immune system, which augments likelihood of successful induction of immunity.