(GIST OF SCIENCE REPORTER) mRNA Vaccine Shows Promise in Fight Against

(JUNE-2024)

Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a new messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine that shows promise in treating glioblastoma, the most aggressive and lethal form of brain cancer.

The mRNA vaccine works by delivering genetic material that instructs the body’s cells to produce proteins specific to glioblastoma cells.
This triggers the immune system to recognize and attack the cancer cells.
This technology is similar to the mRNA vaccines that have been successfully used against COVID-19.

Challenges of Brain Cancer Treatment
Poor Chemotherapy Response: Brain tumors often do not respond well to chemotherapy drugs.
Radiotherapy Side Effects: Radiotherapy, a common treatment for brain cancer, can cause debilitating side effects such as cognitive impairment and fatigue.
Surgical Difficulty: Brain surgery is a complex and risky procedure, especially for tumors located in critical areas of the brain.

Function: Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a molecule that carries instructions from DNA to the cell’s machinery for protein production.
Delivery: The mRNA vaccine delivers genetic material encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles, which are microscopic fat particles, into the body.
Immune Response: Once inside cells, the mRNA instructs them to produce proteins that match specific parts of the cancer cells, called antigens.

The immune system recognizes these foreign antigens as invaders and launches an attack with antibodies and T-cells.

Future Protection: This immune response can also provide long-term protection against future attacks by the same cancer cells.

Live-attenuated vaccines: These contain weakened live
pathogens that stimulate an immune response without causing disease (e.g., MMR vaccine).
Inactivated vaccines: These use killed pathogens to create immunity without causing the disease (e.g., polio vaccine).
Viral vector vaccines: These use a modified, harmless virus to deliver genetic code into host cells, triggering an immune response (e.g., Ebola vaccine).
Subunit vaccines: These contain purified components of a pathogen, not the whole live organism, and can be produced from the original pathogen or recombinantly (e.g., pneumococcal vaccines).