Advances of mRNA vaccine in tumor: a maze of opportunities and challenges

High-frequency mutations in tumor genomes could be exploited as an asset for developing tumor vaccines. In recent years, with the tremendous breakthrough in genomics, intelligence algorithm, and in-depth insight of tumor immunology, it has become possible to rapidly target genomic alterations in tumor cell and rationally select vaccine targets. Among a variety of candidate vaccine platforms, the early application of mRNA was limited by instability low efficiency and excessive immunogenicity until the successful development of mRNA vaccines against SARS-COV-2 broken of technical bottleneck in vaccine preparation, allowing tumor mRNA vaccines to be prepared rapidly in an economical way with good performance of stability and efficiency. In this review, we systematically summarized the classification and characteristics of tumor antigens, the general process and methods for screening neoantigens, the strategies of vaccine preparations and advances in clinical trials, as well as presented the main challenges in the current mRNA tumor vaccine development.

Automated summary

High-frequency mutations in tumor genomes can be utilized to develop tumor vaccines. With advancements in genomics, intelligent algorithms and tumor immunology, it is now possible to target genetic alterations in tumor cells and select vaccine targets efficiently. The application of mRNA in tumor vaccines was initially limited, but the development of mRNA vaccines against SARS-COV-2 has allowed for rapid and cost-effective preparation of tumor mRNA vaccines with good stability and efficiency. This review systematically summarizes the classification and characteristics of tumor antigens, methods for screening neoantigens, vaccine preparation strategies, clinical trial advances, and the main challenges in mRNA tumor vaccine development.