Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccines: Advancing Precision Oncology Through Neoantigen-Directed Immunotherapy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64784/241Keywords:
Personalized mRNA vaccines, Cancer immunotherapy, Precision oncology, Neoantigens, Messenger RNA, Cancer vaccines, Tumor immunology, Genomic medicine, Immune checkpoint inhibitors, Personalized medicine, Biotechnology, TranslatioAbstract
Cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide despite significant advances in diagnosis and treatment. The emergence of personalized messenger RNA (mRNA)-based cancer vaccines has introduced a novel therapeutic strategy capable of integrating genomic medicine, immunology, and biotechnology into precision oncology. The objective of this review was to analyze the current scientific evidence regarding the biological foundations, immunological mechanisms, clinical applications, advantages, limitations, and future perspectives of personalized mRNA cancer vaccines. A scientific method-based narrative review methodology was employed through a structured search of peer-reviewed literature indexed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and other internationally recognized databases. The evidence demonstrated that personalized mRNA vaccines can encode patient-specific neoantigens, stimulate robust CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses, enhance dendritic-cell-mediated antigen presentation, and promote durable immunological memory. Clinical investigations have reported encouraging results in melanoma, pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma, lung cancer, and other malignancies, particularly when vaccines are combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The findings also revealed important advantages, including high therapeutic specificity, individualized treatment design, and rapid development capacity. However, challenges related to neoantigen selection, manufacturing costs, regulatory complexity, and healthcare infrastructure remain significant barriers to widespread implementation. From a regional perspective, countries such as Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador are progressively expanding precision oncology capabilities, although important limitations persist regarding access to genomic technologies and advanced immunotherapies. Overall, personalized mRNA cancer vaccines represent a promising innovation with the potential to transform future cancer treatment through highly individualized and immune-based therapeutic approaches.
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