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Liu X, Huang P, Yang R, Deng H. mRNA Cancer Vaccines: Construction and Boosting Strategies. ACS NANO 2023; 17:19550-19580. [PMID: 37819640 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c05635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
In late 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a lipid-based mRNA vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19, which has pushed this field to be more closely studied and motivated researchers to delve deeper into mRNA therapeutics. To date, the research on mRNA cancer vaccines has been developed rapidly, and substantial hopeful therapeutic results have been achieved against various solid tumors in clinical trials. In this review, we first introduce three main components of mRNA cancer vaccines, including mRNA antigens, adjuvants, and delivery vectors. Engineering these components can optimize the therapeutic effects of mRNA cancer vaccines. For instance, appropriate modification of mRNA structure can alleviate the poor stability and innate immunogenicity of mRNA, and the use of mRNA delivery vectors can address the issues of low delivery efficiency in vivo. Second, we emphatically discuss some strategies to further improve the efficacy of mRNA cancer vaccines, namely modulating the immunosuppressive tumor environment, optimizing administration routes, achieving targeting delivery to intended tissues or organs, and employing combination therapy. These strategies can strengthen the tumor inhibitory ability of mRNA cancer vaccines and increase the possibility of tumor elimination. Finally, we point out some challenges in the clinical practice of mRNA cancer vaccines and offer our perspectives on future developments in this rapidly evolving field. It is anticipated that mRNA cancer vaccines will be rapidly developed for clinical cancer therapy in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqing Liu
- School of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126 China
- Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
- International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
| | - Pei Huang
- Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
- International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
- Departments of Diagnostic Radiology, Surgery, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119074, Singapore
| | - Rusen Yang
- School of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126 China
| | - Hongzhang Deng
- Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
- International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
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2
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mRNA-From COVID-19 Treatment to Cancer Immunotherapy. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11020308. [PMID: 36830845 PMCID: PMC9953480 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
This review provides an overview covering mRNA from its use in the COVID-19 pandemic to cancer immunotherapy, starting from the selection of appropriate antigens, tumor-associated and tumor-specific antigens, neoantigens, the basics of optimizing the mRNA molecule in terms of stability, efficacy, and tolerability, choosing the best formulation and the optimal route of administration, to summarizing current clinical trials of mRNA vaccines in tumor therapy.
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3
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Liu J, Fu M, Wang M, Wan D, Wei Y, Wei X. Cancer vaccines as promising immuno-therapeutics: platforms and current progress. J Hematol Oncol 2022; 15:28. [PMID: 35303904 PMCID: PMC8931585 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-022-01247-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 205] [Impact Index Per Article: 102.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Research on tumor immunotherapy has made tremendous progress in the past decades, with numerous studies entering the clinical evaluation. The cancer vaccine is considered a promising therapeutic strategy in the immunotherapy of solid tumors. Cancer vaccine stimulates anti-tumor immunity with tumor antigens, which could be delivered in the form of whole cells, peptides, nucleic acids, etc. Ideal cancer vaccines could overcome the immune suppression in tumors and induce both humoral immunity and cellular immunity. In this review, we introduced the working mechanism of cancer vaccines and summarized four platforms for cancer vaccine development. We also highlighted the clinical research progress of the cancer vaccines, especially focusing on their clinical application and therapeutic efficacy, which might hopefully facilitate the future design of the cancer vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Liu
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern Renmin Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Minyang Fu
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern Renmin Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Manni Wang
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern Renmin Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Dandan Wan
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern Renmin Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuquan Wei
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern Renmin Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiawei Wei
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern Renmin Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
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4
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Epple S, El-Sagheer AH, Brown T. Artificial nucleic acid backbones and their applications in therapeutics, synthetic biology and biotechnology. Emerg Top Life Sci 2021; 5:691-697. [PMID: 34297063 PMCID: PMC8726046 DOI: 10.1042/etls20210169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The modification of DNA or RNA backbones is an emerging technology for therapeutic oligonucleotides, synthetic biology and biotechnology. Despite a plethora of reported artificial backbones, their vast potential is not fully utilised. Limited synthetic accessibility remains a major bottleneck for the wider application of backbone-modified oligonucleotides. Thus, a variety of readily accessible artificial backbones and robust methods for their introduction into oligonucleotides are urgently needed to utilise their full potential in therapeutics, synthetic biology and biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Epple
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K
| | - Afaf H. El-Sagheer
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K
- Chemistry Branch, Department of Science and Mathematics, Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Suez University, Suez 43721, Egypt
| | - Tom Brown
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K
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5
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Epple S, Modi A, Baker YR, Wȩgrzyn E, Traoré D, Wanat P, Tyburn AES, Shivalingam A, Taemaitree L, El-Sagheer AH, Brown T. A New 1,5-Disubstituted Triazole DNA Backbone Mimic with Enhanced Polymerase Compatibility. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:16293-16301. [PMID: 34546729 PMCID: PMC8499026 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c08057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Triazole linkages
(TLs) are mimics of the phosphodiester bond in
oligonucleotides with applications in synthetic biology and biotechnology.
Here we report the RuAAC-catalyzed synthesis of a novel 1,5-disubstituted
triazole (TL2) dinucleoside phosphoramidite as well as
its incorporation into oligonucleotides and compare its DNA polymerase
replication competency with other TL analogues. We demonstrate that
TL2 has superior replication kinetics to these analogues
and is accurately replicated by polymerases. Derived structure–biocompatibility
relationships show that linker length and the orientation of a hydrogen
bond acceptor are critical and provide further guidance for the rational
design of artificial biocompatible nucleic acid backbones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Epple
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, U.K
| | - Aman Modi
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, U.K
| | - Ysobel R Baker
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, U.K
| | - Ewa Wȩgrzyn
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, U.K
| | - Diallo Traoré
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, U.K
| | - Przemyslaw Wanat
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, U.K
| | - Agnes E S Tyburn
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, U.K
| | - Arun Shivalingam
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, U.K
| | | | - Afaf H El-Sagheer
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, U.K.,Chemistry Branch, Department of Science and Mathematics, Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Suez University, Suez 43721, Egypt
| | - Tom Brown
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, U.K
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6
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Yamaoka K, Oikawa R, Abe N, Nakamoto K, Tomoike F, Hashiya F, Kimura Y, Abe H. Completely Chemically Synthesized Long DNA Can be Transcribed in Human Cells. Chembiochem 2021; 22:3273-3276. [PMID: 34519401 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Chemical ligation reaction of DNA is useful for the construction of long functional DNA using oligonucleotide fragments that are prepared by solid phase chemical synthesis. However, the unnatural linkage structure formed by the ligation reaction generally impairs the biological function of the resulting ligated DNA. We achieved the complete chemical synthesis of 78 and 258 bp synthetic DNAs via multiple chemical ligation reactions with phosphorothioate and haloacyl-modified DNA fragments. The latter synthetic DNA, coding shRNA for luciferase genes with a designed truncated SV promoter sequence, successfully induced the expected gene silencing effect in HeLa cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Yamaoka
- Graduate School of Science, Department of Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Ryota Oikawa
- Graduate School of Science, Department of Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Naoko Abe
- Graduate School of Science, Department of Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Kosuke Nakamoto
- Graduate School of Science, Department of Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Fumiaki Tomoike
- Research Center for Materials Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan.,Department of Life Science, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 171-8588, Japan
| | - Fumitaka Hashiya
- Research Center for Materials Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Yasuaki Kimura
- Graduate School of Science, Department of Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Abe
- Graduate School of Science, Department of Chemistry, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-0076, Japan.,Institute for Glyco-core Research, Tokai National Higher Education and Research System, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
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7
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Abstract
mRNA vaccines have become a promising platform for cancer immunotherapy. During vaccination, naked or vehicle loaded mRNA vaccines efficiently express tumor antigens in antigen-presenting cells (APCs), facilitate APC activation and innate/adaptive immune stimulation. mRNA cancer vaccine precedes other conventional vaccine platforms due to high potency, safe administration, rapid development potentials, and cost-effective manufacturing. However, mRNA vaccine applications have been limited by instability, innate immunogenicity, and inefficient in vivo delivery. Appropriate mRNA structure modifications (i.e., codon optimizations, nucleotide modifications, self-amplifying mRNAs, etc.) and formulation methods (i.e., lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), polymers, peptides, etc.) have been investigated to overcome these issues. Tuning the administration routes and co-delivery of multiple mRNA vaccines with other immunotherapeutic agents (e.g., checkpoint inhibitors) have further boosted the host anti-tumor immunity and increased the likelihood of tumor cell eradication. With the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of LNP-loaded mRNA vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19 and the promising therapeutic outcomes of mRNA cancer vaccines achieved in several clinical trials against multiple aggressive solid tumors, we envision the rapid advancing of mRNA vaccines for cancer immunotherapy in the near future. This review provides a detailed overview of the recent progress and existing challenges of mRNA cancer vaccines and future considerations of applying mRNA vaccine for cancer immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Miao
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Yu Zhang
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Leaf Huang
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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Shivalingam A, Taemaitree L, El-Sagheer AH, Brown T. Squaramides and Ureas: A Flexible Approach to Polymerase-Compatible Nucleic Acid Assembly. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:11416-11422. [PMID: 32153132 PMCID: PMC7383975 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202000209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Joining oligonucleotides together (ligation) is a powerful means of retrieving information from the nanoscale. To recover this information, the linkages created must be compatible with polymerases. However, enzymatic ligation is restrictive and current chemical ligation methods lack flexibility. Herein, a versatile ligation platform based on the formation of urea and squaramide artificial backbones from minimally modified 3′‐ and 5′‐amino oligonucleotides is described. One‐pot ligation gives a urea linkage with excellent read‐through speed, or a squaramide linkage that is read‐through under selective conditions. The squaramide linkage can be broken and reformed on demand, while stable pre‐activated precursor oligonucleotides expand the scope of the ligation reaction to reagent‐free, mild conditions. The utility of our system is demonstrated by replacing the enzymatically biased RNA‐to‐DNA reverse transcription step of RT‐qPCR with a rapid nucleic‐acid‐template‐dependent DNA chemical ligation system, that allows direct RNA detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun Shivalingam
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Lapatrada Taemaitree
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Afaf H El-Sagheer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK.,Department of Science and Mathematics, Suez University, Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Suez, 43721, Egypt
| | - Tom Brown
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
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