Longevity & AgingmRNA Therapy Reprograms Immune Cells to Destroy Tumors in Mice
Researchers at MIT have developed an mRNA-based therapy that reprograms immune cells to mount a powerful attack against cancer. Delivered via lipid nanoparticles, the treatment overexpresses two key factors — NIK and IRF8 — inside dendritic cells, converting them into the rare cDC1 type that trains killer T cells to recognize and destroy tumors. In mouse models of colorectal cancer, roughly 70% of treated animals achieved complete tumor regression. Even more striking, over 80% of cured mice rejected a second tumor implanted 60 days later, indicating lasting immune memory. The approach also showed early promise against metastatic melanoma. Unlike traditional cancer immunotherapies that flood the body with external signals, this method works by rewriting immune cell behavior from the inside, potentially reducing systemic side effects.
