Vaccines

Emerging prospects of mRNA cancer vaccines: mechanisms, formulations, and challenges in cancer immunotherapy

by Umm E. LailaUmm E. LailaWang AnWang AnZhi-Xiang Xu Zhi-Xiang Xu 24/11/2024 Frontiers

Cancer remains a significant global health challenge, with estimates projecting 34 million new cases by 2070 (1). Despite advancements in treatment, current therapies exhibit limitations, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions for cancer treatment. (2). The concept of mRNA cancer vaccines has emerged as a promising avenue for immunotherapy, following the success of mRNA technology in producing effective COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. (3–6). Immunotherapy, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T therapies, have revolutionized cancer treatment by harnessing the power of the immune system. (7). Recently, these approaches, combined with mRNA vaccines, offer a personalized and effective strategy against cancer, providing a more targeted approach

mRNA vaccines for HIV trigger strong immune response in people

by Smriti Mallapaty 1/8/25 nature

The trial is only the third to test mRNA vaccines against HIV. “These are the first studies, so they’re very, very important,” says infectious-disease physician Sharon Lewin, who heads the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia.

Addressing the Cold Reality of mRNA Vaccine Stability

by Daan J.A. Crommelin 3/21 ScienceDirect

As mRNA vaccines became the frontrunners in late-stage clinical trials to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges surrounding their formulation and stability became readily apparent. In this commentary, we first describe company proposals, based on available public information, for the (frozen) storage of mRNA vaccine drug products across the vaccine supply chain.

RNA vaccines articles from across Nature Portfolio

by nature portfolio

RNA vaccines are composed of the nucleic acid RNA, which encode antigen genes of an infectious agent. When administered to host cells, the RNA is translated into protein antigens that elicit protective immunity against the infectious agent.

Antibody Response to 2-Dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Series in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

by Brian J. Boyarsky JAMA

In contrast to immunocompetent participants in vaccine trials,1,2 a low proportion (17%) of solid organ transplant recipients mounted a positive antibody response to the first dose of SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, with those receiving anti–metabolite maintenance immunosuppression less likely to respond.3 In this study, we assessed antibody response after the second dose.

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine design enabled by prototype pathogen preparedness

by Kizzmekia S. Corbett 5/8/20 nature

A vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is needed to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Structural studies have led to the development of mutations that stabilize Betacoronavirus spike proteins in the prefusion state, improving their expression and increasing immunogenicity1.

How political attacks could crush the mRNA vaccine revolution

by Elie Dolgin 9/5/25 nature

The day after Donald Trump moved back into the White House in January, he celebrated a US$500-billion private-sector investment in artificial intelligence (AI) with a high-profile announcement in the Roosevelt Room. The new president looked on as technology billionaire Larry Ellison highlighted one of the initiative’s most transformative goals: using messenger RNA vaccines to transform cancer treatments.

Development of a nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine against clade 2.3.4.4b H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus

by Colleen Furey 23/5/24 nature communications

mRNA lipid nanoparticle (LNP) vaccines would be useful during an influenza virus pandemic since they can be produced rapidly and do not require the generation of egg-adapted vaccine seed stocks.

mRNA vaccines take on immune tolerance

by Christine M. Wardell 30/3/21 nature biotechnology

A tolerizing mRNA vaccine prevents autoimmune disease in mice.

mRNA vaccine-elicited antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and circulating variants

by Zijun Wang 10/2/21 nature

Plasma IgM, IgG and IgA responses to SARS-CoV-2 S and RBD were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)5,6.

Preclinical data from SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine

by Nicolas Vabret 22/6/20 nature reviews immunology

Reflecting the urgency to develop prophylactic approaches against COVID-19, several vaccine candidates have entered clinical trials before showing efficacy in animal models. In this preprint, Corbett et al.

Systems vaccinology of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in humans

by Prabhu S. Arunachalam 12/7/21 nature

The emergency use authorization of two mRNA vaccines in less than a year from the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 represents a landmark in vaccinology1,2. Yet, how mRNA vaccines stimulate the immune system to elicit protective immune responses is unknown. Here we used a systems vaccinology approach to comprehensively profile the innate and adaptive immune responses of 56 healthy volunteers who were vaccinated with the Pfizer–BioNTech mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2).

Trends in Biotechnology

by Jerome D.G. Comes 11/23 ScienceDirect

The next step in mRNA vaccine design is the application of viral-based self-amplifying mRNAs (replicons) that provide long-lasting humoral and cellular immune responses upon single, low-dose immunization.

Clinical advances of mRNA vaccines for cancer immunotherapy

by Alexey V. Yaremenko 10/1/25 ScienceDirect

The development of mRNA vaccines represents a significant advancement in cancer treatment, with more than 120 clinical trials to date demonstrating their potential across various malignancies, including lung, breast, prostate, melanoma, and more challenging cancers such as pancreatic and brain tumors.

Cancer mRNA vaccines: clinical advances and future opportunities

by Elias J. Sayour 17/5/24 nature reviews

mRNA vaccines have been revolutionary in terms of their rapid development and prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this technology has considerable potential for application to the treatment of cancer. Compared with traditional cancer vaccines based on proteins or peptides, mRNA vaccines reconcile the needs for both personalization and commercialization in a manner that is unique to each patient but not beholden to their HLA haplotype.

mRNA vaccines — a new era in vaccinology

by Norbert Pardi 12/1/18 nature reviews

mRNA vaccines represent a promising alternative to conventional vaccine approaches because of their high potency, capacity for rapid development and potential for low-cost manufacture and safe administration. However, their application has until recently been restricted by the instability and inefficient in vivo delivery of mRNA.

Key considerations for a prostate cancer mRNA vaccine

by Guanjie Lin 4/25 ScienceDirect

Prostate cancer has the second highest cancer mortality rate in the UK in males. Early prostate cancer is typically asymptomatic, with diagnosis at a locally advanced or metastatic stage. In addition, the inherent heterogeneity of prostate cancer tumours differs significantly in terms of genetic, molecular, and histological features. The successful treatment of prostate cancer is therefore exceedingly challenging. Immunotherapies, particularly therapeutic vaccines, have been widely used in preclinical and clinical studies to treat various cancers.

Personalized RNA neoantigen vaccines stimulate T cells in pancreatic cancer

by Luis A. Rojas 10/5/23 nature

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is lethal in 88% of patients1, yet harbours mutation-derived T cell neoantigens that are suitable for vaccines 2,3. Here in a phase I trial of adjuvant autogene cevumeran, an individualized neoantigen vaccine based on uridine mRNA–lipoplex nanoparticles, we synthesized mRNA neoantigen vaccines in real time from surgically resected PDAC tumours.

mRNA technology helps reinvigorate the hunt for cancer vaccines

by Bianca Nogrady 23/4/25 nature

The path to therapeutic cancer vaccines is strewn with disappointment. In the 20-year history of clinical trials for vaccines that are designed to treat existing cancer by stimulating the immune system to attack it, “all of them pretty much failed”, says Kavitha Yaddanapudi, an immunologist at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.

Individualized mRNA cancer vaccines make strides

by Cormac Sheridan 10/6/25 nature biotechnology

The first cancer vaccines matched to a person’s unique tumor neoantigens are forging ahead, with expectations running high as the field awaits results from the first pivotal trial.

Comb-structured mRNA vaccine tethered with short double-stranded RNA adjuvants maximizes cellular immunity for cancer treatment

by Theofilus A. Tockary 10/7/23 PNAS

Integrating immunostimulating activity into mRNA (Messenger RNA) packaging materials shows promise in designing nanoformulations for mRNA vaccines, enabling codelivery of antigen-encoding mRNA and adjuvants into the same antigen-presenting cells in a simple formulation. However, this orthodox approach requires elaborative optimization of the packaging materials to obtain mRNA delivery efficiency and adjuvant activity simultaneously.

RNA neoantigen vaccines prime long-lived CD8+ T cells in pancreatic cancer

by Zachary Sethna 19/2/25 nature

A fundamental challenge for cancer vaccines is to generate long-lived functional T cells that are specific for tumour antigens. Here we find that mRNA–lipoplex vaccines against somatic mutation-derived neoantigens may solve this challenge in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a lethal cancer with few mutations.

Recent advances in mRNA cancer vaccines: meeting challenges and embracing opportunities

by frontiers 5/9/23

Since the successful application of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines in preventing COVID-19, researchers have been striving to develop mRNA vaccines for clinical use, including those exploited for anti-tumor therapy. mRNA cancer vaccines have emerged as a promising novel approach to cancer immunotherapy, offering high specificity, better efficacy, and fewer side effects compared to traditional treatments. Multiple therapeutic mRNA cancer vaccines are being evaluated in preclinical and clinical trials, with promising early-phase results. However, the development of these vaccines faces various challenges, such as tumor heterogeneity, an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and practical obstacles like vaccine administration methods and evaluation systems for clinical application.

An mRNA vaccine to treat pancreatic cancer

by NIH 10/5/23

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is lethal in 88% of patients1, yet harbours mutation-derived T cell neoantigens that are suitable for vaccines 2,3 …

mRNA vaccine in gastrointestinal tumors: Immunomodulatory effects and immunotherapy

by Ao Zhang 10/23 ScienceDirect

Gastrointestinal tumors remain a significant healthcare burden worldwide, necessitating the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. mRNA vaccines have emerged as a promising approach in cancer immunotherapy, harnessing the immune system's potential to recognize and eliminate tumor cells. mRNA vaccines offer several advantages, including their ability to elicit both innate and adaptive immune responses, ease of production, and adaptability to different tumor types.

mRNA Vaccines: The Dawn of a New Era of Cancer Immunotherapy

by frontierts 1/6/22

mRNA therapy is a novel anticancer strategy based on in vitro transcription (IVT), which has potential for the treatment of malignant tumors. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 21st century has promoted the application of mRNA technologies in SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, and there has been a great deal of interest in the research and development of mRNA cancer vaccines. There has been progress in a number of key technologies, including mRNA production strategies, delivery systems, antitumor immune strategies, etc.