Harnessing nucleic acid technologies for human health on earth and in space

Nucleic acid therapeutics are a versatile class of sequence-programmable drugs that offer a robust and clinically viable strategy to modulate expression or correct genetic defects contributing to disease. The majority of drugs currently on the market target proteins; however, proteins only represent a subset of possible disease targets. Nucleic acid therapeutics allow intuitive engagement with genome sequences providing a more direct way to target many diseases at their genetic root cause. Their clinical success depends on platform technologies which can support durable and well tolerated pharmacological activity in a given tissue. Nucleic acid drugs possess a potent combination of target specificity and adaptability required to advance drug development for many diseases. As these therapeutic technologies mature, their clinical applications can also expand access to personalized therapies for patients with rare or solo genetic diseases. Spaceflight crew members exposed to the unique hazards of spaceflight, especially those related to galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) exposure, represent another patient subset who may also benefit from nucleic acid drugs as countermeasures. In this review, we will discuss the various classes of RNA- and DNA-targeted nucleic acid drugs, provide an overview of their present-day clinical applications, and describe major strategies to improve their delivery, safety, and overall efficacy.