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Updated: Jul 1, 2025
07:23
Dual CRISPR-Interference Strategy for Targeting Synthetic Lethal Interactions Between Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer Cells
Published on: May 30, 2025
305
Targeting and engineering long non-coding RNAs for cancer therapy.
Michela Coan1,2,3, Simon Haefliger4,5, Samir Ounzain6
1School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Nature Reviews. Genetics
|February 29, 2024
Summary
Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) therapeutics offer promising cancer treatments by targeting RNA molecules. Advances in technology are overcoming challenges to develop effective, personalized lncRNA cancer therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- RNA therapeutics (RNATx) target diseases using RNA molecules.
- Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators of oncogenic networks.
- lncRNAs present unique therapeutic potential and development challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- Review the emerging field of lncRNA therapeutics for oncology.
- Highlight the strengths and challenges of lncRNAs in RNATx.
- Outline steps for developing effective lncRNA cancer treatments.
Main Methods:
- Review of current advances in genome editing, oligonucleotide chemistry, multi-omics, and RNA engineering.
- Analysis of lncRNA properties relevant to therapeutic development.
- Discussion of the broader RNATx framework.
Main Results:
- lncRNAs offer distinct therapeutic advantages over protein-coding genes.
- Technological advancements are enabling efficient lncRNA drug discovery pipelines.
- Specific strategies are needed to overcome lncRNA development hurdles.
Conclusions:
- lncRNA therapeutics hold significant promise for personalized cancer treatment.
- Further development is required to ensure effective, durable, and tolerable therapies.
- This review provides a roadmap for advancing lncRNA-based oncology treatments.
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