One of cancer immunotherapy’s toughest balancing acts is how to unleash the immune system against tumors without tipping it into overdrive or making it go off target. At the center of this challenge are regulatory T cells, or Tregs, which are specialized immune cells that keep inflammation and autoimmunity in check.

Dr. Mark Chong has discovered that tiny molecules inside Tregs called microRNAs help control how Tregs behave in cancer and that inhibiting them could let the immune system attack tumors more effectively. Stopping these microRNAs has been difficult though because current drugs are unable to get inside Tregs.

In this project, Dr. Chong’s team will employ the same technology used in some COVID-19 vaccines – called RNA-lipid nanoparticles (RNA-LNPs) – to develop a new class of drugs that target microRNAs. LNPs are very small, fat-based bubbles that can safely deliver microRNA inhibitors directly into Tregs. This new approach could lead to a powerful new cancer immunotherapy that can work alongside existing treatments to make them more effective.

Research Focus

Inflammation, regulatory T cells, microRNAs

Projects and Grants

Cell-targeting RNA-LNPs delivering microRNA inhibitors as a novel immunotherapy for cancer