In recent years, messenger RNA (mRNA) has come into the spotlight as a versatile therapeutic with the potential to prevent and treat a staggering range of diseases. Billions of dollars have been invested in the commercial development of mRNA drugs, with ongoing clinical trials focused on vaccines (for example, influenza and Zika viruses) and cancer immunotherapy (for example, myeloma, leukaemia and glioblastoma). Although significant progress has been made in the design of in vitro-transcribed mRNA that retains potency while minimizing unwanted immune responses, the widespread use of mRNA drugs requires the development of safe and effective drug delivery vehicles. In this Review, we provide an overview of the field of mRNA therapeutics and describe recent advances in the development of synthetic materials that encapsulate and deliver mRNA payloads.

近年来，信使RNA（mRNA）作为一种通用的治疗方法备受关注，具有预防和治疗各种疾病的潜力。已经投入数十亿美元用于mRNA药物的商业开发，正在进行的临床试验侧重于疫苗（例如，流感病毒和寨卡病毒）和癌症免疫疗法（例如，骨髓瘤，白血病和成胶质细胞瘤）。尽管体外设计已取得重大进展转录的mRNA在保持效力的同时最小化不需要的免疫反应，因此mRNA药物的广泛使用要求开发安全有效的药物递送载体。在这篇综述中，我们提供了mRNA治疗领域的概述，并描述了封装和递送mRNA有效载荷的合成材料的最新进展。