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Updated: Jun 30, 2025

Ovarian Cancer Patient-Derived Organoid Models for Pre-Clinical Drug Testing
Published on: September 15, 2023
Nucleic acid-based vaccine for ovarian cancer cells; bench to bedside
Sulieman Ibraheem Shelash Al-Hawary1, Saade Abdalkareem Jasim2,3, Ahmed Hjazi4
1Department of Business Administration, Business School, Al al-Bayt University, Mafraq, Jordan.
Abstract:
Ovarian cancer continues to be a difficult medical issue that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Important platforms for cancer immunotherapy include checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bispecific antibodies, cancer vaccines, and other cell-based treatments. To avoid numerous infectious illnesses, conventional vaccinations based on synthetic peptides, recombinant subunit vaccines, and live attenuated and inactivated pathogens are frequently utilized. Vaccine manufacturing processes, however, are not entirely safe and carry a significant danger of contaminating living microorganisms. As a result, the creation of substitute vaccinations is required for both viral and noninfectious illnesses, including cancer. Recently, there has been testing of nucleic acid vaccines, or NAVs, as a cancer therapeutic. Tumor antigens (TAs) are genetically encoded by DNA and mRNA vaccines, which the host uses to trigger immune responses against ovarian cancer cells that exhibit the TAs. Despite being straightforward, safe, and easy to produce, NAVs are not currently thought to be an ideal replacement for peptide vaccines. Some obstacles to this strategy include selecting the appropriate therapeutic agents (TAs), inadequate immunogenicity, and the immunosuppressive characteristic of ovarian cancer. We focus on strategies that have been employed to increase NAVs' effectiveness in the fight against ovarian cancer in this review.
Insights
Nucleic acid vaccines (NAVs) show promise for ovarian cancer immunotherapy but face challenges. This review explores strategies to enhance NAV effectiveness against this difficult disease.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Ovarian cancer remains a significant global health challenge.
- Conventional vaccines face manufacturing risks; alternative approaches are needed.
- Cancer immunotherapies, including vaccines, are crucial for treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review strategies for enhancing nucleic acid vaccines (NAVs) against ovarian cancer.
- To address the limitations of NAVs in cancer treatment.
- To explore the potential of NAVs as a therapeutic option for ovarian cancer.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on nucleic acid vaccines for cancer.
- Analysis of strategies to improve immunogenicity and overcome immunosuppression.
- Focus on the selection of tumor antigens (TAs) for DNA and mRNA vaccines.
Main Results:
- Nucleic acid vaccines encode tumor antigens to elicit immune responses.
- Challenges include TA selection, suboptimal immunogenicity, and the tumor microenvironment.
- Various strategies are being investigated to improve NAV efficacy.
Conclusions:
- Nucleic acid vaccines offer a safe and producible platform for ovarian cancer immunotherapy.
- Overcoming immunogenicity and immunosuppression are key to successful NAV application.
- Further research into enhancing NAVs is critical for advancing ovarian cancer treatment.

