Israeli Scientists Pioneer RNA-Based Treatment for Blood Cancer

Israeli scientists have successfully killed myeloma blood cancer cells using a pioneering RNA-based medication. The drug, encapsulated in targeted lipid nanoparticles similar to those used in COVID-19 vaccines, was delivered directly to the cancer cells, according to a statement by Tel Aviv University.

This groundbreaking method destroyed 90% of multiple myeloma blood cancer cells in lab conditions and 60% in human tissues sourced from patients at Israel’s Rabin Medical Center. The lipid-based nanoparticles carried RNA molecules that suppress the CKAP5 gene, responsible for encoding the cytoskeleton-associated protein 5. When this protein is blocked, the cancer cell cannot divide and is essentially destroyed.

To protect noncancerous cells, antibodies were used to coat the nanoparticles, guiding them directly to the cancer cells in the bone marrow. Multiple myeloma is typically found in older populations and is notoriously hard to reach as it forms tumors inside the bone marrow.

This RNA-based treatment can be rapidly developed by modifying the RNA molecule to silence different genes, making it a customizable therapy based on disease progression and individual patient needs. The researchers, led by Tel Aviv University’s VP R&D Prof. Dan Peer, head of the Nanomedicine Laboratory at the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, and by Ph.D. student Dana Tarab-Ravski, hail it as a game-changer for RNA medications and vaccines targeting cancerous tumors and diseases originating from the bone marrow.