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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: mRNA (Messenger RNA)
Why in the News?
In December 2024, Russia announced the development of a new mRNA-based personalized cancer vaccine, with plans to make it available for free to patients by early 2025.
What is mRNA (Messenger RNA)?
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What is an mRNA Cancer Vaccine?
- Unlike traditional vaccines, mRNA vaccines provide genetic instructions to train the immune system to detect and attack cancer cells.
- This technology gained prominence with the COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) and is now being adapted for cancer treatment.
- These vaccines are therapeutic, designed for patients who already have cancer, not for prevention.
How do mRNA Cancer Vaccines Work?
- Cancer cells evade the immune system by suppressing immune responses.
- Immunotherapy works by enhancing the body’s natural ability to detect and destroy these cancerous cells.
- Unlike chemotherapy, which kills both healthy and cancerous cells, immunotherapy selectively targets only cancer cells, reducing harmful side effects.
- mRNA cancer vaccines are customized for each patient, targeting specific tumor antigens, making them highly personalized and potentially more effective.
- While traditional infectious disease vaccines prevent illness, mRNA cancer vaccines are therapeutic, meaning they are administered to patients who already have cancer to help their immune system fight the disease.
PYQ:[2019] RNA interference (RNAi)’ technology has gained popularity in the last few years. Why?
Select the correct answer using the codes given below: (a) 1, 2 and 4 (b) 2 and 3 (c) 1 and 3 (d) 1 and 4 only |
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