RNA aggregates harness the danger response for potent cancer immunotherapy. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38697107/)
These scientists wanted to find a better way to help the body fight against cancer. They created special tiny particles made of RNA and lipids that look like layers of an onion. These particles are called RNA-LPAs.
Normally, when we try to use vaccines to help the immune system fight cancer, the vaccines need to be packaged in a certain way to work well. But these RNA-LPAs work differently. When they are put into the body, they activate a special protein called RIG-I in certain cells around the tumor. This causes these cells to release a lot of signals that tell the immune system to come and attack the cancer.
The scientists tested these RNA-LPAs in mice with tumors and in dogs with brain tumors. They found that the RNA-LPAs helped the animals live longer and changed the environment around the tumor to make it easier for the immune system to fight the cancer.
Finally, the scientists tried the RNA-LPAs in people with brain tumors. They saw that the particles caused the immune system to become active quickly and helped the body fight against the cancer. This new technology could be a very important tool to help people with cancer in the future.
Mendez-Gomez HR., DeVries A., Castillo P., von Roemeling C., Qdaisat S., Stover BD., Xie C., Weidert F., Zhao C., Moor R., Liu R., Soni D., Ogando-Rivas E., Chardon-Robles J., McGuiness J., Zhang D., Chung MC., Marconi C., Michel S., Barpujari A., Jobin GW., Thomas N., Ma X., Campaneria Y., Grippin A., Karachi A., Li D., Sahay B., Elliott L., Foster TP., Coleman KE., Milner RJ., Sawyer WG., Ligon JA., Simon E., Cleaver B., Wynne K., Hodik M., Molinaro AM., Guan J., Kellish P., Doty A., Lee JH., Massini T., Kresak JL., Huang J., Hwang EI., Kline C., Carrera-Justiz S., Rahman M., Gatica S., Mueller S., Prados M., Ghiaseddin AP., Silver NL., Mitchell DA., Sayour EJ. RNA aggregates harness the danger response for potent cancer immunotherapy. Cell. 2024 May 9;187(10):2521-2535.e21. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.003. Epub 2024 May 1.