Beyond the COVID-۱۹ Vaccine: mRNA Vaccines in Cancer Treatment

Cancer is one of the major global health challenges and a leading cause of mortality. According to the latest statistical report, approximately ۵,۳۷۰ new cases and ۱,۶۷۰ deaths per day are predicted in the United States throughout ۲۰۲۳. Given the high rate of complications and mortality, significant efforts have been made to find anti-cancer treatments. Although progress has been made in traditional therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, reliable treatment options remain limited. Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer. Immune checkpoint molecules regulate the immune system and are essential for self-tolerance, preventing the immune system from attacking the body’s own cells. However, some cancer cells have the ability to evade immune attacks by manipulating these immune checkpoint molecules, thus avoiding destruction by immune cells (T lymphocytes). Therefore, immune checkpoint molecules are suitable drug targets for immunotherapy in cancer treatment. Immunotherapy drugs, known as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have been approved for treating cancer. By blocking these molecules, ICIs allow T cells to destroy cancer cells. With their apparent efficacy and fewer side effects, ICIs bring new hope to cancer patients, raising awareness of the pivotal role the immune system plays in successful anti-cancer therapies. However, limited benefit, drug resistance, and high costs remain significant concerns. Thus, there is an urgent need to explore new and effective ways to activate the immune system to combat tumors. A vaccine is a biological preparation that stimulates acquired immunity against a specific infectious or malignant disease. For diseases caused by viruses (such as measles, polio, and smallpox) and bacteria (such as diphtheria, tetanus, and tuberculosis), vaccines typically contain an agent resembling a pathogen, often made from weakened or inactivated forms, toxins, or one of its surface proteins. This agent stimulates the immune system to recognize it as a threat, destroy it, and retain memory of it, so it can more effectively eliminate any related pathogens in the future. The best performance of these vaccines usually occurs when administered before exposure to the bacteria or virus. However, in the case of cancer, the situation is more complex for several reasons, making it more difficult to develop preventive or therapeutic cancer vaccines. Specifically, unlike bacteria and viruses that appear foreign to our immune system, cancer cells are more similar to our normal and healthy cells. Additionally, each person’s tumor is somewhat unique, with its own distinct antigens. As a result, more complex approaches are necessary to create effective cancer vaccines. With the COVID-۱۹ pandemic caused by the coronavirus family and the success of COVID-۱۹ vaccines, there has been growing hope for mRNA-based treatments (Messenger ribonucleic acid, mRNA) for various diseases, particularly cancer. The mRNA molecule, which serves as the intermediary between transcription and translation, provides genetic instructions for producing specific proteins in the body’s cells, offering multiple advantages for vaccine development. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-۱۹ vaccines are the first mRNA vaccines approved for human use. mRNA vaccines use a version of a natural chemical called messenger RNA to produce

کلیدواژه ها:

Cancer ، Treatment ، Vaccines