Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 1, 2025

Dual CRISPR-Interference Strategy for Targeting Synthetic Lethal Interactions Between Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer Cells
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
PubMed

Insights

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.

More Related Videos

Overexpressing Long Noncoding RNAs Using Gene-activating CRISPR13:04

Overexpressing Long Noncoding RNAs Using Gene-activating CRISPR

Published on: March 1, 2019

8.9K
Characterization of Functionally Associated miRNAs in Glioblastoma and their Engineering into Artificial Clusters for Gene Therapy09:40

Characterization of Functionally Associated miRNAs in Glioblastoma and their Engineering into Artificial Clusters for Gene Therapy

Published on: October 4, 2019

5.7K

Related Concept Videos

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs02:39

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs

In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA...
8.6K
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
7.6K
MicroRNAs01:22

MicroRNAs

MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns—non-coding regions of a gene—or intergenic regions—stretches of DNA present between genes. Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After...
21.3K
Types of RNA01:20

Types of RNA

Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in regulating gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA Performs Diverse...
5.8K
Experimental RNAi02:15

Experimental RNAi

RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
6.1K
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs02:30

siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs

Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the...
16.8K