Improving cancer immunotherapy by controlling RNA expression

Gene therapy has become one of the hottest areas of biotech research. Some gene therapies, like Spark Therapeutics’ eye drug Luxturna, deliver healthy genes to replace mutated ones, while others, such as Alnylam Pharmaceuticals’ RNA interference therapy Onpattro, work by silencing disease-causing genes. But controlling the strength and timing of gene expression with these therapies has proven challenging, especially when RNA is the central mechanism at work.
A group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists has now found a way to control RNA via a gene "circuit," which they believe will ensure patients get the desired dose of therapeutic protein, according to a new study published in Nature Chemical Biology. The researchers are already applying the approach to cancer immunotherapy.