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Saw PE, Song E. Advancements in clinical RNA therapeutics: Present developments and prospective outlooks. Cell Rep Med 2024:101555. [PMID: 38744276 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
RNA molecules have emerged as promising clinical therapeutics due to their ability to target "undruggable" proteins or molecules with high precision and minimal side effects. Nevertheless, the primary challenge in RNA therapeutics lies in rapid degradation and clearance from systemic circulation, the inability to traverse cell membranes, and the efficient intracellular delivery of bioactive RNA molecules. In this review, we explore the implications of RNAs in diseases and provide a chronological overview of the development of RNA therapeutics. Additionally, we summarize the technological advances in RNA-screening design, encompassing various RNA databases and design platforms. The paper then presents an update on FDA-approved RNA therapeutics and those currently undergoing clinical trials for various diseases, with a specific emphasis on RNA medicine and RNA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phei Er Saw
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China; Nanhai Clinical Translational Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Foshan 528200, China
| | - Erwei Song
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China; Nanhai Clinical Translational Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Foshan 528200, China; Breast Tumor Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
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Le Huy B, Bui Thi Phuong H, Luong Xuan H. Advantages and disadvantages of RNA therapeutics. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci 2024; 203:151-164. [PMID: 38359996 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2023.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
RNA therapeutics is an innovative and rapidly evolving field at the forefront of medical research and biotechnology. Recently, many studies have shown that diverse RNA types play important roles in cells. Besides the protein translation coding, they also express and regulate a variety of cellular pathways. Indeed, along with the research and studies, many drugs and vaccines were developed from RNAs, including both coding and non-coding RNA. Some cases were approved to be medicines or under clinical trial. After years of use and application, they have shown a bright opportunity to prevent and treat many fatal and rare diseases with many strong points, such as fast production and long-term effects. Besides, they still have some drawbacks that need to be overcome, like stability or delivery to become the new generation of medicine. Therefore, this chapter focuses on providing an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of RNA therapeutics as well as some crucial points for future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binh Le Huy
- Center for High Technology Development, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), Hanoi, Vietnam; School of Chemical Engineering-Hanọi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | | | - Huy Luong Xuan
- Faculty of Pharmacy, PHENIKAA University, Hanoi, Vietnam; PHENIKAA Institute for Advanced Study (PIAS), PHENIKAA University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
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Hansen SN, Holm A, Kauppinen S, Klitgaard H. RNA therapeutics for epilepsy: An emerging modality for drug discovery. Epilepsia 2023; 64:3113-3129. [PMID: 37703096 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Drug discovery in epilepsy began with the finding of potassium bromide by Sir Charles Locock in 1857. The following century witnessed the introduction of phenotypic screening tests for discovering antiseizure medications (ASMs). Despite the high success rate of developing ASMs, they have so far failed in eliminating drug resistance and in delivering disease-modifying treatments. This emphasizes the need for new drug discovery strategies in epilepsy. RNA-based drugs have recently shown promise as a new modality with the potential of providing disease modification and counteracting drug resistance in epilepsy. RNA therapeutics can be directed either toward noncoding RNAs, such as microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), and circular RNAs, or toward messenger RNAs. The former show promise in sporadic, nongenetic epilepsies, as interference with ncRNAs allows for modulation of entire disease pathways, whereas the latter seem more promising in monogenic childhood epilepsies. Here, we describe therapeutic strategies for modulating disease-associated RNA molecules and highlight the potential of RNA therapeutics for the treatment of different patient populations such as sporadic, drug-resistant epilepsy, and childhood monogenic epilepsies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anja Holm
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Center for RNA Medicine, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sakari Kauppinen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Center for RNA Medicine, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Panella R, Petri A, Desai BN, Fagoonee S, Cotton CA, Nguyen PK, Lundin EM, Wagshal A, Wang DZ, Näär AM, Vlachos IS, Maratos-Flier E, Altruda F, Kauppinen S, Paolo Pandolfi P. MicroRNA-22 Is a Key Regulator of Lipid and Metabolic Homeostasis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12870. [PMID: 37629051 PMCID: PMC10454516 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a growing public health problem associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cancer. Here, we identify microRNA-22 (miR-22) as an essential rheostat involved in the control of lipid and energy homeostasis as well as the onset and maintenance of obesity. We demonstrate through knockout and transgenic mouse models that miR-22 loss-of-function protects against obesity and hepatic steatosis, while its overexpression promotes both phenotypes even when mice are fed a regular chow diet. Mechanistically, we show that miR-22 controls multiple pathways related to lipid biogenesis and differentiation. Importantly, genetic ablation of miR-22 favors metabolic rewiring towards higher energy expenditure and browning of white adipose tissue, suggesting that modulation of miR-22 could represent a viable therapeutic strategy for treatment of obesity and other metabolic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Panella
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA; (R.P.)
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Center for RNA Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, DK-2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark
| | - Andreas Petri
- Center for RNA Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, DK-2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark
| | - Bhavna N. Desai
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Center for Life Sciences, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Sharmila Fagoonee
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging (CNR) c/o Molecular Biotechnology Center, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Cody A. Cotton
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA; (R.P.)
| | - Piercen K. Nguyen
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA; (R.P.)
| | - Eric M. Lundin
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA; (R.P.)
| | - Alexandre Wagshal
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Da-Zhi Wang
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Anders M. Näär
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Ioannis S. Vlachos
- Cancer Research Institute, Harvard Medical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Eleftheria Maratos-Flier
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Center for Life Sciences, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Fiorella Altruda
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Sakari Kauppinen
- Center for RNA Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, DK-2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark
| | - Pier Paolo Pandolfi
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
- Renown Institute for Cancer, Nevada System of Higher Education, Reno, NV 89502, USA
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Panella R, Cotton CA, Maymi VA, Best S, Berry KE, Lee S, Batalini F, Vlachos IS, Clohessy JG, Kauppinen S, Paolo Pandolfi P. Targeting of microRNA-22 Suppresses Tumor Spread in a Mouse Model of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11051470. [PMID: 37239141 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11051470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
microRNA-22 (miR-22) is an oncogenic miRNA whose up-regulation promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), tumor invasion, and metastasis in hormone-responsive breast cancer. Here we show that miR-22 plays a key role in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) by promoting EMT and aggressiveness in 2D and 3D cell models and a mouse xenograft model of human TNBC, respectively. Furthermore, we report that miR-22 inhibition using an LNA-modified antimiR-22 compound is effective in reducing EMT both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, pharmacologic inhibition of miR-22 suppressed metastatic spread and markedly prolonged survival in mouse xenograft models of metastatic TNBC highlighting the potential of miR-22 silencing as a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Panella
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA
- Center for RNA Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, 2450 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Cody A Cotton
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA
| | - Valerie A Maymi
- Preclinical Murine Pharmacogenetics Facility and Mouse Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Sachem Best
- Preclinical Murine Pharmacogenetics Facility and Mouse Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kelsey E Berry
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA
| | - Samuel Lee
- Preclinical Murine Pharmacogenetics Facility and Mouse Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Felipe Batalini
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Ioannis S Vlachos
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - John G Clohessy
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Preclinical Murine Pharmacogenetics Facility and Mouse Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Sakari Kauppinen
- Center for RNA Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, 2450 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Pier Paolo Pandolfi
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, 10154 Turin, Italy
- Renown Institute for Cancer, Nevada System of Higher Education, Reno, NV 89502, USA
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Quemener AM, Centomo ML, Sax SL, Panella R. Small Drugs, Huge Impact: The Extraordinary Impact of Antisense Oligonucleotides in Research and Drug Development. Molecules 2022; 27:536. [PMID: 35056851 PMCID: PMC8781596 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27020536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are an increasingly represented class of drugs. These small sequences of nucleotides are designed to precisely target other oligonucleotides, usually RNA species, and are modified to protect them from degradation by nucleases. Their specificity is due to their sequence, so it is possible to target any RNA sequence that is already known. These molecules are very versatile and adaptable given that their sequence and chemistry can be custom manufactured. Based on the chemistry being used, their activity may significantly change and their effects on cell function and phenotypes can differ dramatically. While some will cause the target RNA to decay, others will only bind to the target and act as a steric blocker. Their incredible versatility is the key to manipulating several aspects of nucleic acid function as well as their process, and alter the transcriptome profile of a specific cell type or tissue. For example, they can be used to modify splicing or mask specific sites on a target. The entire design rather than just the sequence is essential to ensuring the specificity of the ASO to its target. Thus, it is vitally important to ensure that the complete process of drug design and testing is taken into account. ASOs' adaptability is a considerable advantage, and over the past decades has allowed multiple new drugs to be approved. This, in turn, has had a significant and positive impact on patient lives. Given current challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to find new therapeutic strategies that would complement the vaccination efforts being used across the globe. ASOs may be a very powerful tool that can be used to target the virus RNA and provide a therapeutic paradigm. The proof of the efficacy of ASOs as an anti-viral agent is long-standing, yet no molecule currently has FDA approval. The emergence and widespread use of RNA vaccines during this health crisis might provide an ideal opportunity to develop the first anti-viral ASOs on the market. In this review, we describe the story of ASOs, the different characteristics of their chemistry, and how their characteristics translate into research and as a clinical tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anais M. Quemener
- University Rennes, CNRS, IGDR (Institute of Genetics and Development of Rennes)-UMR 6290, F-35000 Rennes, France;
| | - Maria Laura Centomo
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy;
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA;
| | - Scott L. Sax
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA;
| | - Riccardo Panella
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA;
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