[Science World] Will a World Where Cancer Prevention Is Possible Come?

[Asia Economy] COVID-19 was a great disaster for humanity, but it had at least one positive impact. It served as a catalyst for the practical application of mRNA (messenger RNA) pharmaceuticals. mRNA originally refers to a kind of "letter" produced from the genetic blueprint (DNA). Various organelles within our cells faithfully interpret the contents of this letter to produce different proteins. Humans have finally succeeded in developing the technology to write "fake letters(?)" whose contents can be freely altered.

What happens if we introduce these fake letters into our bodies? The cells produce various structural proteins, i.e., "drugs," exactly as instructed by the letter. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are essentially "letters" instructing our bodies to produce immune substances (antigens) against COVID-19. In other words, if the contents of the letter are written differently, it can instruct the production of other drugs. This means that developing various drugs, including those for cancer, is not that difficult.

In reality, there is also technology that makes cancer cells themselves recognized as "antigens," prompting immune cells to attack them. This is called "immuno-oncology." The principle involves extracting T cells from the patient's own blood, expressing genes (CAR) that recognize cancer cells, culturing them, and then reintroducing them into the patient's body to destroy cancer cells. If a similar function can be expressed using mRNA, i.e., fake letters, a world where cancer can be cured with just a few injections without complicated culturing processes is not far off.

The advantage of mRNA technology lies in its remarkable versatility. Since only the "letter" instructing the body to produce the necessary drug needs to be created, production is easy, efficacy is excellent, development is rapid, and manufacturing costs are low. Because it consists of the same components as the genetic material in our bodies, if properly designed, the risk of side effects is also low. Of course, many obstacles still need to be overcome, but it is undoubtedly a highly attractive therapeutic method. It is a foregone conclusion that a new era of drugs based on mRNA will arrive in the future.

Jeon Seungmin, Science and Technology Writer

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.