(Molly Campbell/ Technology Networks) — The COVID-19 global pandemic has cast a spotlight on mRNA vaccine technology, which is often referred to as part of “the new era” of vaccinology.
Prior to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, mRNA-based vaccines were already being developed for prophylactic and therapeutic applications, including cancer immunotherapy. The premise here is similar to COVID-19 vaccination, however, rather than attacking an infectious virus, the immune system is provoked to attack cancer-causing tumors. Both preclinical and clinical trials have demonstrated the utility of mRNA vaccines for treating cancer via this approach. However, researchers have encountered several roadblocks on the path to developing mRNA vaccines for cancer immunotherapy.
One key challenge is the fact that mRNA is not a stable molecule. The body is quick to degrade it – an undesirable trait for cancer immunotherapy. Nanoparticles have been developed to tackle this issue; however, they are also often excreted from the body one to two days post-injection. (…)