Janowski Miroslaw, Andrzejewska Anna
Program in Image Guided Neurointerventions, Center for Advanced Imaging Research, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2022 Sep 13;29:272-284. doi: 10.1016/j.omtn.2022.07.003. Epub 2022 Jul 13.
mRNA is like Hermes, delivering the genetic code to cellular construction sites, so it has long been of interest, but only to a small group of scientists, and only demonstrating its remarkable efficacy in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines allowed it to go out into the open. Therefore, now is the right timing to delve into the stepping stones that underpin this success and pay tribute to the underlying scientists. From this perspective, advances in mRNA engineering have proven crucial to the rapidly growing role of this molecule in healthcare. Development of consecutive generations of cap analogs, including anti-reverse cap analogs (ARCAs), has significantly boosted translation efficacy and maintained an enthusiasm for mRNA research. Nucleotide modification to protect mRNA molecules from the host's immune system, followed by finding appropriate purification and packaging methods, were other links in the chain enabling medical breakthroughs. Currently, vaccines are the central area of mRNA research, but it will reach far beyond COVID-19. Supplementation of missing or abnormal proteins is another large field of mRNA research. cell engineering and genome editing have been expanding recently. Thus, it is time to recognize mRNA pioneers while building upon their legacy.
信使核糖核酸（mRNA）就像赫尔墨斯（希腊神话中的神使），将遗传密码传递到细胞的“建筑工地”，因此长期以来一直备受关注，但起初只有一小群科学家感兴趣，直到其在2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）疫苗中展现出卓越疗效，它才得以走进大众视野。所以，现在正是深入探究促成这一成功的垫脚石，并向背后的科学家致敬的恰当时机。从这个角度来看，mRNA工程学的进展已被证明对该分子在医疗保健领域迅速增长的作用至关重要。连续几代帽类似物的开发，包括抗反向帽类似物（ARCA），显著提高了翻译效率，并保持了对mRNA研究的热情。对核苷酸进行修饰以保护mRNA分子免受宿主免疫系统的攻击，随后找到合适的纯化和包装方法，是促成医学突破的链条上的其他环节。目前，疫苗是mRNA研究的核心领域，但它的应用将远远超出COVID-19。补充缺失或异常的蛋白质是mRNA研究的另一个大领域。细胞工程和基因组编辑近来一直在不断发展。因此，是时候表彰mRNA领域的先驱者，并在他们的遗产基础上继续前进了。
