RNA-based Therapeutics: Master Regulator for Bioengineering Systems in Medicine World

Abstract

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) and its types have emerged as master regulators of biological processes and expanded knowledge regarding the role of RNA in the gene expression inside the cell have dramatically changed the therapeutic strategies in the past few years. RNA has become a focus for developing novel therapeutic schemes and hence RNA-based therapies, particularly in viral diseases have become more enthralling and promising. It is due to the fact that RNA offers various advantages in disease management as it can be edited and customized in its various forms such as secondary and tertiary structures. Principles and mechanisms regarding RNA therapeutics are well described in volumes, however, the information regarding long-awaited RNA-based drug development and potential hurdles as well as barriers in the way is still scattered. In this regard, these agents are required to overcome a plethora of barriers such as stability of drug targets, immunogenicity, adequate binding, targeted delivery, etc. to become effective drugs. Most of the trials are changing their way from in-vitro to in-vivo studies and it is not far away when RNA-based therapeutics will find their way from bench to bedside. In this communication, the authors give a brief review of important recent advances in above said domains of miRNA therapeutics.