Recent progress in mRNA cancer vaccines.

The research and development of messenger RNA (mRNA) cancer vaccines have gradually overcome numerous challenges through the application of personalized cancer antigens, structural optimization of mRNA, and the development of alternative RNA-based vectors and efficient targeted delivery vectors. Clinical trials are currently underway for various cancer vaccines that encode tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), tumor-specific antigens (TSAs), or immunomodulators. In this paper, we summarize the optimization of mRNA and the emergence of RNA-based expression vectors in cancer vaccines.

The advances of adjuvants in mRNA vaccines.

The remarkable success of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has propelled the rapid development of this vaccination technology in recent years. Over the last three decades, numerous studies have shown the considerable potential of mRNA vaccines that elicit protective immune responses against pathogens or cancers in preclinical studies or clinical trials. These effective mRNA vaccines usually contain specific adjuvants to obtain the desired immune effect.

A Nanovaccine Based on Adjuvant Peptide FK-13 and l-Phenylalanine Poly(ester amide) Enhances CD8 T Cell-Mediated Antitumor Immunity.

Cancer vaccines have shown promise as effective means of antitumor immunotherapy by inducing tumor antigen-specific T cell immunity. In this study, a novel peptide-based tumor nanovaccine that boosts antigen presentation and elicits effective antitumor immunity is developed. The adjuvant characteristics of an antimicrobial peptide-derived core peptide, FK-13, are investigated and used it to generate a fusion peptide named FK-33 with tumor antigen epitopes.

Targeted photodynamic neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 mediated by singlet oxygen.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus has been on a rampage for more than two years. Vaccines in combination with neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 carry great hope in the treatment and final elimination of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the relentless emergence of variants of concern (VOC), including the most recent Omicron variants, presses for novel measures to counter these variants that often show immune evasion.

Attenuating effect of magnesium on pulmonary arterial calcification in rodent models of pulmonary hypertension.

Objective: Vascular calcification has been considered as a potential therapeutic target in pulmonary hypertension. Mg2+ has a protective role against calcification. This study aimed to investigate whether Mg2+ could alleviate pulmonary hypertension by reducing medial calcification of pulmonary arteries.

Magnesium Supplementation Attenuates Pulmonary Hypertension via Regulation of Magnesium Transporters.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by profound vascular remodeling and altered Ca homeostasis in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Magnesium ion (Mg), a natural Ca antagonist and a cofactor for numerous enzymes, is crucial for regulating diverse cellular functions, but its roles in PH remains unclear. Here, we examined the roles of Mg and its transporters in PH development.