mRNA vaccines:a new era in vaccine development

The advent of RNA therapy,particularly through the development of mRNA cancer vaccines,has ushered in a new era in the field of oncology.This article provides a concise overview of the key principles,recent advancements,and potential implications of mRNA cancer vaccines as a groundbreaking modality in cancer treatment.mRNA cancer vaccines represent a revolutionary approach to combatting cancer by leveraging the body’s innate immune system.These vaccines are designed to deliver specific mRNA sequences encoding cancer-associated antigens,prompting the immune system to recognize and mount a targeted response against malignant cells.This personalized and adaptive nature of mRNA vaccines holds immense potential for addressing the heterogeneity of cancer and tailoring treatments to individual patients.Recent breakthroughs in the development of mRNA vaccines,exemplified by the success of COVID-19 vaccines,have accelerated their application in oncology.The mRNA platform’s versatility allows for the rapid adaptation of vaccine candidates to various cancer types,presenting an agile and promising avenue for therapeutic intervention.Clinical trials of mRNA cancer vaccines have demonstrated encouraging results in terms of safety,immunogenicity,and efficacy.Pioneering candidates,such as BioNTech’s BNT111 and Moderna’s mRNA-4157,have exhibited promising outcomes in targeting melanoma and solid tumors,respectively.These successes underscore the potential of mRNA vaccines to elicit robust and durable anti-cancer immune responses.While the field holds great promise,challenges such as manufacturing complexities and cost considerations need to be addressed for widespread adoption.The development of scalable and cost-effective manufacturing processes,along with ongoing clinical research,will be pivotal in realizing the full potential of mRNA cancer vaccines.Overall,mRNA cancer vaccines represent a cutting-edge therapeutic approach that holds the promise of transforming cancer treatment.As research progresses,addressing challenges and refining manufacturing processes will be crucial in advancing these vaccines from clinical trials to mainstream oncology practice,offering new hope for patients in the fight against cancer.

Development of test scenarios and bicyclist surrogate for the evaluation of bicyclist automatic emergency braking systems

Purpose–To support the standardized evaluation of bicyclist automatic emergency braking(AEB)systems,test scenarios,test procedures and test system hardware and software tools have been investigated and developed by the Transportation Active Safety Institute(TASI)at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.This paper aims to focus on the development of test scenarios and bicyclist surrogate for evaluating vehicle–bicyclist AEB systems.Design/methodology/approach–The harmonized general estimates system(GES)/FARS 2010-2011 crash data and TASI 110-car naturalistic driving data(NDD)are used to determine the crash geometries and environmental factors of crash scenarios including lighting conditions,vehicle speeds,bicyclist speeds,etc.A surrogate bicyclist including a bicycle rider and a bicycle surrogate is designed to match the visual and radar characteristics of bicyclists in the USA.A bicycle target is designed with both leg pedaling and wheel rotation to produce proper micro-Doppler features and generate realistic motion for camera-based AEB systems.Findings–Based on the analysis of the harmonized GES/FARS crash data,five crash scenarios are recommended for performance testing of bicyclist AEB systems.Combined with TASI 110-car naturalistic driving data,the crash environmental factors including lighting conditions,obscuring objects,vehicle speed and bicyclist speed are determined.The surrogate bicyclist was designed to represent the visual and radar characteristics of the real bicyclists in the USA.The height of the bicycle rider mannequin is 173 cm,representing the weighted height of 50th percentile US male and female adults.The size and shape of the surrogate bicycle were determined as 26-inch wheel and mountain/road bicycle frame,respectively.Both leg pedaling motion and wheel rotation are suggested to produce proper micro-Doppler features and support the camera-based AEB systems.Originality/value–The results have demonstrated that the developed scenarios,test procedures and bicyclist surrogate will provide effective objective methods and necessary hardware and software tools for the evaluation and validation of bicyclist AEB systems.This is crucial for the development of advanced driver assistance systems.