Ashlesha Odak, Senior Scientist at Strand Therapeutics discussed applications of mRNA in the cancer immunotherapy space. At Strand Therapeutics there are two programmes for cancer therapy that use mRNA programming. They focus on solid tumours and leveraging self-replicating RNA for higher expression levels.
Recently the company nominated a lead developmental candidate STX-001 which uses self-replicating RNA (repRNA) for intratumoural delivery, offering longer expression and higher protein levels than conventional modified mRNA. Although the concept of mRNA as a drug started in the 1990s it gained significant traction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Odak noted that that over 325 RNA therapies are currently in development, primarily for caners and infectious diseases.
mRNA cancer drugs are mainly cancer vaccines, neoantigens, cytokines, and antibody therapies. Odak briefly mentioned the successful MEDI 1191 trials conducted by Moderna which used IL-12 mRNA for intratumoural delivery. The outcome of this trial demonstrated promising results in solid tumours.
Odak explained that Strand’s platform leverages synthetic biology to achieve cell type-specific expression. By designing RNA circuits that respond to cellular inputs, they can restrict therapeutic expression to target cells, minimising off-target effects. This approach is being explored for systemic delivery with a goal of overcoming the limitations of local injection.
A key application discussed was CAR-T therapy. Traditional ex vivo CAR-T treatments are costly, time-consuming, and prone to manufacturing failures. Strand proposes an in-situ method using synthetic mRNA circuits to generate CAR-T cells directly in the body. This could reduce costs, simplify logistics, and improve safety by avoiding lymphodepletion and off-target toxicity.
Odak concluded by emphasising the promise of programmable mRNA in oncology, supported by encouraging preclinical data and a growing industry pipeline. She reiterated the ability of Strand’s platform to deliver precise, effective, and scalable therapies, marking a significant step forward in the field of RNA-based medicine.
