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. 2018 Oct;11(10):5281-5309.
doi: 10.1007/s12274-018-2146-1. Epub 2018 Jul 27.

Biomedical applications of mRNA nanomedicine

Qingqing Xiong  1   2 , Gha Young Lee  1 , Jianxun Ding  1 , Wenliang Li  1   3 , Jinjun Shi  1
Affiliations

Biomedical applications of mRNA nanomedicine

Qingqing Xiong et al. Nano Res. 2018 Oct.

Abstract

As an attractive alternative to plasmid DNA, messenger RNA (mRNA) has recently emerged as a promising class of nucleic acid therapeutics for biomedical applications. Advances in addressing the inherent shortcomings of mRNA and in the development of nanoparticle-based delivery systems have prompted the development and clinical translation of mRNA-based medicines. In this review, we discuss the chemical modification strategies of mRNA to improve its stability, minimize immune responses, and enhance translational efficacy. We also highlight recent progress in nanoparticle-based mRNA delivery. Considerable attention is given to the increasingly widespread applications of mRNA nanomedicine in the biomedical fields of vaccination, protein-replacement therapy, gene editing, and cellular reprogramming and engineering.

Keywords: cellular reprogramming; chemical modification; engineering; gene editing; messenger RNA; nanoparticle; protein-replacement; vaccination.

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