| Introduction: Cancer immunotherapy is more dependent on monoclonal antibodies, proteins, and
cells, as therapeutic agents, to attain prominent outcomes. However, cancer immunotherapy’s clinical
benefits need to be enhanced, as many patients still do not respond well to existing treatments, or their
diseases may relapse after temporary control. RNA-based approaches have provided new options for
advancing cancer immunotherapy. Moreover, considerable efforts have been made to utilize RNA for
vaccine production. RNA vaccines, which encode tumor-associated or specific epitopes, stimulate
adaptive immunity. This adaptive immune response is capable of elimination or reduction of tumor
burden. It is crucial to develop effective RNA transfer technologies that penetrate the lipid bilayer to
reach the cytoplasm for translation into functional proteins. Two important delivery methods include
the loading of mRNA into dendritic cells ex vivo; and direct injection of naked RNA with or without
a carrier.
Areas covered: The latest results of pre-clinical and clinical studies with RNA vaccines in cancer
immunotherapy are summarized in this review.
Expert opinion: RNA vaccines are now in early clinical development with promising safety and efficacy
outcomes. Also, the translation capacity and durability of these vaccines can be increased with chemical
modifications and sequence engineering. |