Title:The Potential Use of RNA-based Therapeutics for Breast Cancer Treatment
Volume: 28
Issue: 25
Author(s): Yangyang Song*, Xinyu Ke and Leilei Chen*
Affiliation:
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599,Singapore
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599,Singapore
Keywords:
Breast cancer, RNA therapy, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), aptamers, RNA interference (RNAi),
clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9).
Abstract: Breast cancer is one of the most lethal cancers in women worldwide, and the
development of efficient treatments faces several challenges. Breast cancer is characterized
by histological and functional heterogeneity in aspects such as tumorigenesis, metastasis,
and drug resistance. RNA therapy has emerged as a highly attractive class of drugs
for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. It might play remarkable regulatory
roles in the treatment of targeted cells by either increasing or silencing expressions of specific
proteins, and such features of RNA-based drugs cause high selectivity and low risk
of off-target effect in breast cancer. RNA therapy exerts anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic
effects upon cell culture systems, animal models, and in clinical trials in most
studies. In this mini-review, we outline the classifications, mechanisms, advantages, and
challenges of RNA therapy and highlight its application in breast cancer treatment. Additionally,
we summarize the clinical trials of RNA-targeting therapies and the development
of anti-tumor RNA drugs and provide future directions for RNA therapeutics in
breast cancer.
