Opinion: miRNAs – The new wave of molecular cancer therapeutics

Abstract

Cutting-edge advances in nanomedicine and the recent approval of two siRNA-based therapeutics by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rekindled the interest in RNA interference (RNAi) as vehicles for the development of novel cancer therapeutics. In this perspective, we will briefly discuss how miRNAs are becoming the next-generation RNAi therapeutic, the advances in delivery vehicles for in vivo miRNA delivery, and where miRNA technology stands in terms of clinical translation.

Sox2 induces glioblastoma cell stemness and tumor propagation by repressing TET2 and deregulating 5hmC and 5mC DNA modifications

“… 59 These promising developments open the door for new therapeutic approaches based on reconstituting tumor-suppressive miRNAs or inhibiting oncogenic miRNAs as means to normalize dysregulated molecular networks, inhibit tumor growth, and enhance the effects of current standards-of-care. 23 , 32 , 60 Emerging evidence shows that non-coding RNAs play a critical role in controlling the expression of TET2 in GBM cells. 61 Ren et al demonstrate that long non-coding RNA AC016405.3 regulates proliferation and migration of non-stem-like GBM cells by sponging miR-19a-5p and therefore modulating TET2 expression, 61 suggesting that utilizing non-coding RNAs to modulate TET2 expression can impact GBM growth.…”

Regulating POLR3G by MicroRNA-26a-5p as a promising therapeutic target of lung cancer stemness and chemosensitivity

“…Although it is not coded, it acts as regulator of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) [ 7 ]. They affect many biological processes, such as cell growth, apoptosis, angiogenesis promotion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) [ [8] , [9] , [10] ].…”