Cancer vaccines have recently gained a great importance as a type of immunotherapy. Among these, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based vaccines aim to activate antigen-specific T cells by dendritic cells which internalize mRNA and present the mRNA-encoded tumor antigens upon direct administration of mRNA. These T cells recognize the antigens presented by tumor cells and mediate an efficient anti-tumoral activity. Thanks to its molecular structure, mRNA also serves an adjuvant activating the immune system through binding to intracellular receptors. Coding for one or more antigens, mRNA can be produced in laboratory as well as clinical quality using standard molecular biology techniques and designed easily through optimization of various structural elements. In this review, mRNA vaccines which involve direct injection of mRNA intradermally or intranodally (into the lymph node) are discussed. These mRNA vaccines are currently being tested in various preclinical and clinical studies and hold promise for the fight against cancer.

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