In recent decades, RNA-based therapeutics have transitioned from a near impossibility to a compelling treatment alternative for genetic disorders and infectious diseases. The mRNA vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are truly groundbreaking, and new adaptations are already being proposed to fight other microbes. Unfortunately, the potential of RNA-based therapeutics to treat human fungal infections has remained mostly absent from the conversation, despite the fact that invasive fungal infections kill as many per year as tuberculosis and even more than malaria. Here, we argue that RNA-based therapeutics should be investigated for the treatment of human fungal infections and discuss several major roadblocks and potential circumventions that may allow for the realization of RNA-based therapies against human fungal pathogens.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8498853 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2021.09.007 | DOI Listing |
Viruses
January 2025
Center for Retrovirus Research, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Since the discovery of RNA in the early 1900s, scientific understanding of RNA form and function has evolved beyond protein coding. Viruses, particularly retroviruses like human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), rely heavily on RNA and RNA post-transcriptional modifications to regulate the viral lifecycle, pathogenesis, and evasion of host immune responses. With the emergence of new sequencing technologies in the last decade, our ability to dissect the intricacies of RNA has flourished.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceuticals (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway.
Cytokine-mediated inflammation is increasingly recognized for playing a vital role in the pathophysiology of a wide range of brain disorders, including neurodegenerative, psychiatric, and neurodevelopmental problems. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) cause neuroinflammation, alter brain function, and accelerate disease development. Despite progress in understanding these pathways, effective medicines targeting brain inflammation are still limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2025
Department of Pathology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
Recurrent fusions drive the pathogenesis of many hematological malignancies. Compared to routine cytogenetic/fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies, the RNA-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) fusion assay enables the identification of both known and novel fusions. In many cases, these recurrent fusions are crucial for diagnosis and are associated with prognosis, relapse prediction, and therapeutic options.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenes (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, The RNA Institute, University at Albany, SUNY, 1400 Washington Ave Extension, Albany, NY 12222, USA.
The notion of RNA-based therapeutics has gained wide attractions in both academic and commercial institutions. RNA is a polymer of nucleic acids that has been proven to be impressively versatile, dating to its hypothesized RNA World origins, evidenced by its enzymatic roles in facilitating DNA replication, mRNA decay, and protein synthesis. This is underscored through the activities of riboswitches, spliceosomes, ribosomes, and telomerases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomedicines
December 2024
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng 475000, China.
Gastrointestinal tumors present a significant challenge for precision medicine due to their complexity, necessitating the development of more specific diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents. Recent advances have positioned coding and non-coding RNAs as emerging biomarkers for these malignancies, detectable by liquid biopsies, and as innovative therapeutic agents. Many RNA-based therapeutics, such as small interfering RNA (siRNA) and antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), have entered clinical trials or are available on the market.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!