RNA-based therapies

Content

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  MicroRNA therapeutics: towards a new era for the management of cancer and other diseases

  MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that can modulate mRNA expression. Insights into the roles of miRNAs in development and disease have led to the development of new therapeutic approaches that are based on miRNA mimics or agents that inhibit their functions (antimiRs), and the first such approaches have entered the clinic. This Review discusses the role of different miRNAs in cancer and other diseases, and provides an overview of current miRNA therapeutics in the clinic.

  • Rajesha Rupaimoole
  • Frank J. Slack

  Review Article17 Feb 2017 Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
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  Aptamers as targeted therapeutics: current potential and challenges

  Nucleic acid aptamers offer several advantages over traditional antibodies, but their clinical translation has been delayed by several factors, including insufficient potency, lack of safety data and high production costs. Here, Zhou and Rossi provide an overview of aptamer generation, focusing on recent technological advances and clinical development, as well as challenges and lessons learned.

  • Jiehua Zhou
  • John Rossi

  Review Article3 Nov 2016 Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
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  Non-coding RNAs as drug targets

  Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) may affect normal gene expression and disease progression, thereby representing potential drug targets. Here, Matsui and Corey assess the potential and challenges in therapeutically exploiting ncRNA species — including microRNA, intronic RNA, repetitive RNA and long ncRNA — highlighting key lessons learned during the development of technologies targeting mRNA.

  • Masayuki Matsui
  • David R. Corey

  Opinion22 Jul 2016 Nature Reviews Drug Discovery