Advancing Cancer Immunotherapy: The Potential of mRNA Vaccines As a Promising Therapeutic Approach

Abstract

AbstractmRNA vaccines have long been recognized for their ability to induce robust immune responses. The discovery that mRNA vaccines may also contribute to anti‐tumor immunity has made them a promising therapeutic approach against cancer. Recent advances in understanding of immune system have been precious in developing therapeutic strategies that target pathways involved in tumor survival and progression, leading to the most reliable therapeutic strategies in cancer treatment history. Among all traditional cancer treatments, cancer immunotherapies are less toxic and more effective, even in advanced or recurrent stages of cancer. Recent advancements in genomics and machine learning algorithms give new insight into vaccine development. mRNA vaccines are designed to interfere with STING and TLR pathways, activating more CD8+ T‐cells involved in destroying tumor cells and inhibiting tumor growth. A stronger immune response can be achieved by incorporating immunological adjuvants alongside mRNA. Non‐formulated or vehicle‐based mRNA vaccines, when combined with adjuvants, efficiently express tumor antigens through antigen‐presenting cells and stimulate both innate and adaptive immune responses. Co‐delivery with additional immunotherapeutic agents, such as checkpoint inhibitors, further enhances the efficacy of mRNA vaccines. This article focused on the current clinical approaches and challenges to consider when developing mRNA‐based vaccine technology for cancer treatment.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Design of PD‐L1‐Targeted Lipid Nanoparticles to Turn on PTEN for Efficient Cancer Therapy

“…[1] This versatility has driven the use of mRNA in diverse immunotherapeutic approaches, particularly DOI: 10.1002/advs.202309917 in the context of cancer immunotherapy. [2] mRNA-based cancer immunotherapy, involving vaccines encoding tumor antigens and immune modulators, has shown promise in both preclinical and clinical studies. [3] Furthermore, recent endeavors have emerged to directly address cancer by introducing mRNA-encoding functional proteins to replace missing or defective endogenous ones.…”