Nucleic acid vaccines-based therapy for triple-negative breast cancer: A new paradigm in tumor immunotherapy arena

Nucleic acid vaccines (NAVs) have the potential to be economical, safe, and efficacious. Furthermore, just the chosen antigen in the pathogen is the target of the immune responses brought on by NAVs. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatment shows great promise for nucleic acid-based vaccines, such as DNA (as plasmids) and RNA (as messenger RNA [mRNA]). Moreover, cancer vaccines offer a compelling approach that can elicit targeted and long-lasting immune responses against tumor antigens. Bacterial plasmids that encode antigens and immunostimulatory molecules serve as the foundation for DNA vaccines. In the 1990s, plasmid DNA encoding the influenza A nucleoprotein triggered a protective and targeted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response, marking the first instance of DNA vaccine-mediated immunity. Similarly, in vitro transcribed mRNA was first successfully used in animals in 1990. At that point, mice were given an injection of the gene encoding the mRNA sequence, and the researchers saw the production of a protein. We begin this review by summarizing our existing knowledge of NAVs. Next, we addressed NAV delivery, emphasizing the need to increase efficacy in TNBC.

Critical role of exosome, exosomal non-coding RNAs and non-coding RNAs in head and neck cancer angiogenesis

Head and neck cancer (HNC) refers to the epithelial malignancies of the upper aerodigestive tract. HNCs have a constant yet slow-growing rate with an unsatisfactory overall survival rate globally. The development of new blood vessels from existing blood conduits is regarded as angiogenesis, which is implicated in the growth, progression, and metastasis of cancer. Aberrant angiogenesis is a known contributor to human cancer progression. Representing a promising therapeutic target, the blockade of angiogenesis aids in the reduction of the tumor cells oxygen and nutrient supplies. Despite the promise, the association of existing anti-angiogenic approaches with severe side effects, elevated cancer regrowth rates, and limited survival advantages is incontrovertible. Exosomes appear to have an essential contribution to the support of vascular proliferation, the regulation of tumor growth, tumor invasion, and metastasis, as they are a key mediator of information transfer between cells. In the exocrine region, various types of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) identified to be enriched and stable and contribute to the occurrence and progression of cancer. Mounting evidence suggest that exosome-derived ncRNAs are implicated in tumor angiogenesis. In this review, the characteristics of angiogenesis, particularly in HNC, and the impact of ncRNAs on HNC angiogenesis will be outlined. Besides, we aim to provide an insight on the regulatory role of exosomes and exosome-derived ncRNAs in angiogenesis in different types of HNC.

Nucleic acid-based vaccine for ovarian cancer cells; bench to bedside

Ovarian cancer continues to be a difficult medical issue that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Important platforms for cancer immunotherapy include checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bispecific antibodies, cancer vaccines, and other cell-based treatments. To avoid numerous infectious illnesses, conventional vaccinations based on synthetic peptides, recombinant subunit vaccines, and live attenuated and inactivated pathogens are frequently utilized. Vaccine manufacturing processes, however, are not entirely safe and carry a significant danger of contaminating living microorganisms. As a result, the creation of substitute vaccinations is required for both viral and noninfectious illnesses, including cancer. Recently, there has been testing of nucleic acid vaccines, or NAVs, as a cancer therapeutic. Tumor antigens (TAs) are genetically encoded by DNA and mRNA vaccines, which the host uses to trigger immune responses against ovarian cancer cells that exhibit the TAs. Despite being straightforward, safe, and easy to produce, NAVs are not currently thought to be an ideal replacement for peptide vaccines. Some obstacles to this strategy include selecting the appropriate therapeutic agents (TAs), inadequate immunogenicity, and the immunosuppressive characteristic of ovarian cancer. We focus on strategies that have been employed to increase NAVs' effectiveness in the fight against ovarian cancer in this review.