mRNA Therapeutics: Foundations, Innovations, and Clinical Applications

mRNA Therapeutics: Foundations, Innovations and Clinical Applications aims to provide a comprehensive text that covers all aspects of mRNA therapeutics, from the foundational science that underpins this disruptive new drug class, through the scientific and technological breakthroughs crucial for therapeutic success, to the current clinical applications and the innovative advances driving future directions. The book begins with foundational knowledge covering mRNA biology, the immune system, and vaccines. The second section addresses the major challenges associated with mRNA as a therapeutic modality, and the molecular engineering innovations and delivery technologies that have allowed these hurdles to be largely overcome. The third section describes the current and future clinical applications of mRNA therapeutics that are transforming, or are poised to transform, medicine and health. This includes the use of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, as well as mRNA's role in revolutionizing cancer immunotherapy, covering immunostimulants, cancer vaccines including personalized neoantigen vaccines, and CAR T cell technologies. Additional chapters describe the use of mRNA therapeutics for protein replacement therapy and gene-editing, as well as newer mRNA constructs, including self-amplifying mRNA. The final section addresses the safety and regulatory considerations of mRNA therapeutics, along with broader cultural issues including vaccine hesitancy, global vaccine inequality, and pandemic preparedness. Currently, mRNA texts either provide personal accounts from key players involved in COVID-19 vaccine development, with limited scientific depth, or focus on highly specialized, more esoteric applications of mRNA in advanced molecular biology. This book aims to bridge this gap by providing a scientifically rigorous and wide-ranging exploration of mRNA's role in therapeutics. This pioneering textbook serves as a vital addition to the academic canon, providing an essential tool for the current and next generation of students, scientists, researchers and professionals in a wide variety of related disciplines including molecular biology, biomedical engineering, pharmaceutical science, oncology, and the health sciences.- Focuses on the science of mRNA, covering the development, modus operandi, platform manufacturing technology, safety, and efficacy of this treatment modality- Provides the mRNA technology fit with the wider context of vaccinology, virology, oncology, biotechnology, as well as manufacturing and regulatory science- Offers an understanding of the recent paradigm shift in the way we treat disease

About the Author

Dr. Anya M. Hillery received her BSc in pharmacy from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, followed by a Ph.D. and post-doctoral research work in the field of vaccines/nanoparticle delivery systems at the School of Pharmacy, University College London, UK. As a Senior Lecturer in the University of Brighton, UK, she led her own research laboratory working on novel delivery systems and oral vaccines. Dr Hillery is currently a Professor of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus, Spain and is also a Senior Editor for the journal International Pharmaceutical Quality. She has published widely in peer-reviewed scientific journals, edited two acclaimed books on Drug Delivery & Targeting, and is the recipient of numerous national and international awards for research and scholarship.