Abstract
Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a new class of drug that can be used to express a therapeutic protein and, in contrast to DNA, is safer and inexpensive. Among its advantages, mRNA will immediately begin to express its encoded protein in the cell cytoplasm. The protein will be expressed for a period of time, after which the mRNA is degraded. There is no risk of genetic damage, one of the concerns with plasmid DNA (pDNA) used in traditional gene therapy approaches. Nevertheless, mRNA application in tissue regeneration and regenerative medicine remains limited. In this case, mRNA must overcome its main hurdles: immunogenicity, lack of stability, and intracellular delivery. Research has been done to overcome these limitations, and the future of mRNA seems promising for tissue repair1,2. This keynote talk will address questions including: What are the opportunities for mRNA to improve outcomes in musculoskeletal tissue repair, in particular bone and cartilage? What are the key factors and challenges to expediting this technology to patient treatment (beyond COVID-19 vaccination)?
Acknowledgements: E.R.B thanks the cmRNAbone project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the grant agreement no. 874790 and the NIH R01 AR074395 from NIAMS for funding her mRNA work.
