mRNA-based cancer therapeutics

Due to the fact that mRNA technology allows the production of diverse vaccines and treatments in a shorter time frame and with reduced expense compared to conventional approaches, there has been a surge in the use of mRNA-based therapeutics in recent years. With the aim of encoding tumour antigens for cancer vaccines, cytokines for immunotherapy, tumour suppressors to inhibit tumour development, chimeric antigen receptors for engineered T cell therapy or genome-editing proteins for gene therapy, many of these therapeutics have shown promising efficacy in preclinical studies, and some have even entered clinical trials. Given the evidence supporting the effectiveness and safety of clinically approved mRNA vaccines, coupled with growing interest in mRNA-based therapeutics, mRNA technology is poised to become one of the major pillars in cancer drug development. In this Review, we present in vitro transcribed mRNA-based therapeutics for cancer treatment, including the characteristics of the various types of synthetic mRNA, the packaging systems for efficient mRNA delivery, preclinical and clinical studies, current challenges and future prospects in the field. We anticipate the translation of promising mRNA-based treatments into clinical applications, to ultimately benefit patients. mRNA for therapeutics is growing in popularity owing to the relative ease of synthesis and nucleotide alteration for personalized medicine. In this Review, Liu et al. outline the characteristics of in vitro transcribed mRNA-based therapeutics for cancer treatment, highlighting the ongoing clinical studies, current challenges and future opportunities.

Automated summary

Due to its advantages in terms of production speed and cost reduction, mRNA technology has been widely used in the development of diverse vaccines and treatments. mRNA-based therapeutics have shown promising efficacy in preclinical studies and some have entered clinical trials. With the support from evidence of effectiveness and safety of clinically approved mRNA vaccines, along with increasing interest, mRNA technology is expected to become a major pillar in cancer drug development. This review provides an overview of in vitro transcribed mRNA-based therapeutics for cancer treatment, including characteristics, delivery systems, preclinical and clinical studies, current challenges, and future prospects in the field. The translation of promising mRNA-based treatments into clinical applications is anticipated to benefit patients.