Understanding Rna's Impact on Cancer Research

🚀 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁: 𝗧𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿-𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀 (𝗧𝗦𝗧𝘀) 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 🎯 Exciting new research by Li 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. (2024) identifies thousands of tumor-specific transcripts (TSTs) generated through cancer-cell-specific RNA splicing, paving the way for more precise diagnostics and immunotherapy. This breakthrough offers targeted treatment options, especially for hard-to-treat cancers. 🧬 🔑 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀: 29,051 TSTs identified across 33 cancer types, including 3,130 linked to patient survival. These TSTs generate neoantigens — unique markers on cancer cells. For example, the ERV1-derived neoepitope DPVPDIIPV is a unique tumor marker for testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs). 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿-𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: Some TSTs produce protein fusions unique to cancer cells, offering targets for precision therapies while reducing risks to healthy tissue. 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 & 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹: TSTs correlate with tumor aggressiveness and patient outcomes and are detectable in blood extracellular vesicles (EVs), enabling non-invasive cancer screening and monitoring. 💡 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: With nearly 30,000 cancer-specific TSTs, new therapeutic possibilities emerge, including cell therapies (CAR-T, CAR-M, and CAR-NK cells) engineered to target these markers, personalized vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies. TSTs in EVs present a new avenue for early detection and monitoring, promising more accurate, accessible diagnostics. As such, TSTs hold immense potential for advancing personalized, immune-driven therapies, even for the most resistant cancers. 👉 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆: https://lnkd.in/eeKmwkgN #Oncology #Immunotherapy #PrecisionMedicine #CancerDiagnostics #RNAsplicing #Neoantigens #CancerVaccines #AntibodyTherapy #CellTherapy #LiquidBiopsy #Biomarkers #ExtracellularVesicles #CancerImmunotherapy #TumorMicroenvironment

Targeting Long Non-coding RNAs for Cancer Therapy RNA therapeutics (RNATx) have emerged as a promising therapeutic approach to treat various diseases, including cancer, by targeting or harnessing RNA molecules for therapeutic purposes. In this field, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have attracted attention as valuable targets due to their ability to modulate oncogenic molecular networks in a highly cell-type-specific manner. Unlike protein-coding genes, lncRNAs exhibit unique properties that enhance their therapeutic potential but also pose challenges to traditional drug development. LncRNAs participate in key cellular processes, such as gene expression regulation, chromatin remodeling, and splicing, and often play a key role in cancer progression. Their cell-type-restricted activities make them ideal candidates for precision oncology, in which treatments are tailored to the unique genetic and molecular profiles of individual patients. However, the complexity and diversity of lncRNAs, as well as their often low and context-specific expression levels, present significant obstacles to the development of effective lncRNA-targeted therapies. Recent advances in genome editing technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9, have enabled precise manipulation of lncRNA sequences, providing insights into their functions and potential as therapeutic targets. In addition, improvements in oligonucleotide chemistry and RNA engineering have facilitated the design of molecules that can selectively modulate lncRNA activity, either by silencing oncogenic lncRNAs or restoring the function of tumor suppressor lncRNAs. Multi-omics approaches integrating genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics have further deepened our understanding of the role of lncRNAs in cancer and promoted the development of innovative and personalized lncRNA therapies. In recent years, lncRNA therapies have begun to move from the laboratory to the clinic and have the potential to provide effective, durable, tolerable, and personalized treatments for cancer. We believe that as research progresses, lncRNA therapies are expected to change the future of cancer treatment and bring new hope to patients. References [1] Michela Coan et al., Nature Reviews Genetics 2024 (https://lnkd.in/e-RQfR56) [2] BaoQing Chen et al., Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy 2022 (https://lnkd.in/ek99VsZV) #lncRNA #RNATherapeutics #CancerResearch #OncologyInnovation #GenomeEditing #PersonalizedMedicine #Biotechnology #HealthcareInnovation #MolecularMedicine #FutureOfCancerTreatment

"Alternative RNA splicing is like a movie editor cutting and rearranging scenes from the same footage to create different versions of a film. By selecting which scenes to keep and which to leave out, the editor can produce a drama, a comedy, or even a thriller—all from the same raw material. Similarly, cells splice RNA in different ways to produce a variety of proteins from a single gene, fine-tuning their function based on need. However, when cancer rewrites the script, this process goes awry, fueling tumor growth and survival. In a recent study reported in the Feb. 15 issue of Nature Communications, scientists from The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) and UConn Health not only show how cancer hijacks this tightly regulated splicing and rearranging of RNA but also introduce a potential therapeutic strategy that could slow or even shrink aggressive and hard-to-treat tumors. This discovery could transform how we treat aggressive cancers, such as triple-negative breast cancer and certain brain tumors, where current treatment options are limited." #cancer #oncology

"The Catalyst" by Nobel-laureate Thomas R. Czech provides a compelling historic overview of our understanding of RNA, and this molecule's centrality to life. The central dogma — where RNA was presumed to be simply a conduit between DNA and protein synthesis — has been discarded, entirely. We increasingly understand that this most versatile of molecules does much more than acting as a messenger (i.e., transcribing information in DNA and — alongside the ribosome — translating this information into proteins). RNA lends unimaginable versatility to our limited genomes. Beyond protein synthesis, RNA plays a central part in essential cellular processes which enable complex life, including gene regulation, gene silencing and expression, epigenetic regulation, and maintaining chromosomal integrity. "The Catalyst" is an epic story told in two parts: a first-hand account of foundational biological discoveries in RNA, and the evolving translation of these discoveries into therapeutic targets in the clinic. We know have enormous progress in such therapeutic solutions as: ➡️ Anti-sense Oligonucleotide therapies (gene silencing) designed to modulate gene expression ➡️ RNA interference (siRNA) therapies designed to prevent the production of disease-causing proteins (degrading mRNA) ➡️ mRNA vaccines (the ones we are arguably most familiar with) designed to elicit an immune response to infectious diseases through antigen production in the cell ➡️ mRNA cancer therapies now in the clinic designed to stimulate the immune system recognition and attack of cancerous cells ➡️ CRISPR-based therapies, which use guide RNA and Cas9 enzymes for gene editing (including Casgevy, the first approved CRISPR-based therapy, for sickle-cell disease and beta-thalassemia)