1
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Ma W, Fu X, Zhao T, Qi Y, Zhang S, Zhao Y. Development and applications of lipid hydrophilic headgroups for nucleic acid therapy. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 74:108395. [PMID: 38906496 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Nucleic acid therapy is currently the most promising method for treating tumors and genetic diseases and for preventing infectious diseases. However, the biggest obstacle to this therapy is delivery of the nucleic acids to the target site, which requires overcoming problems such as capture by the immune system, the need to penetrate biofilms, and degradation of nucleic acid performance. Designing suitable delivery vectors is key to solving these problems. Lipids-which consist of a hydrophilic headgroup, a linker, and a hydrophobic tail-are crucial components for the construction of vectors. The headgroup is particularly important because it affects the drug encapsulation rate, the vector cytotoxicity, and the transfection efficiency. Herein, we focus on various headgroup structures (tertiary amines, quaternary ammonium salts, peptides, piperazines, dendrimers, and several others), and we summarize and classify important lipid-based carriers that have been developed in recent years. We also discuss applications of cationic lipids with various headgroups for delivery of nucleic acid drugs, and we analyze how headgroup structure affects transport efficiency and carrier toxicity. Finally, we briefly describe the challenges of developing novel lipid carriers, as well as their prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanting Ma
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China
| | - Xingxing Fu
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China
| | - Tianyi Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Biofabrication of Ministry of Education, School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023, China
| | - Yanfei Qi
- Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Shubiao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China.
| | - Yinan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China
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2
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Amaya L, Abe B, Liu J, Zhao F, Zhang WL, Chen R, Li R, Wang S, Kamber RA, Tsai MC, Bassik MC, Majeti R, Chang HY. Pathways for macrophage uptake of cell-free circular RNAs. Mol Cell 2024; 84:2104-2118.e6. [PMID: 38761795 PMCID: PMC11218042 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are stable RNAs present in cell-free RNA, which may comprise cellular debris and pathogen genomes. Here, we investigate the phenomenon and mechanism of cellular uptake and intracellular fate of exogenous circRNAs. Human myeloid cells and B cells selectively internalize extracellular circRNAs. Macrophage uptake of circRNA is rapid, energy dependent, and saturable. CircRNA uptake can lead to translation of encoded sequences and antigen presentation. The route of internalization influences immune activation after circRNA uptake, with distinct gene expression programs depending on the route of RNA delivery. Genome-scale CRISPR screens and chemical inhibitor studies nominate macrophage scavenger receptor MSR1, Toll-like receptors, and mTOR signaling as key regulators of receptor-mediated phagocytosis of circRNAs, a dominant pathway to internalize circRNAs in parallel to macropinocytosis. These results suggest that cell-free circRNA serves as an "eat me" signal and danger-associated molecular pattern, indicating orderly pathways of recognition and disposal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Amaya
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Brian Abe
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jie Liu
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Feifei Zhao
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Wenyan Lucy Zhang
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Robert Chen
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Rui Li
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Steven Wang
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Roarke A Kamber
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Miao-Chih Tsai
- RNA Medicine Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael C Bassik
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ravindra Majeti
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Howard Y Chang
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; RNA Medicine Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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3
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Abbasi S, Matsui-Masai M, Yasui F, Hayashi A, Tockary TA, Mochida Y, Akinaga S, Kohara M, Kataoka K, Uchida S. Carrier-free mRNA vaccine induces robust immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in mice and non-human primates without systemic reactogenicity. Mol Ther 2024; 32:1266-1283. [PMID: 38569556 PMCID: PMC11081875 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Carrier-free naked mRNA vaccines may reduce the reactogenicity associated with delivery carriers; however, their effectiveness against infectious diseases has been suboptimal. To boost efficacy, we targeted the skin layer rich in antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and utilized a jet injector. The jet injection efficiently introduced naked mRNA into skin cells, including APCs in mice. Further analyses indicated that APCs, after taking up antigen mRNA in the skin, migrated to the lymph nodes (LNs) for antigen presentation. Additionally, the jet injection provoked localized lymphocyte infiltration in the skin, serving as a physical adjuvant for vaccination. Without a delivery carrier, our approach confined mRNA distribution to the injection site, preventing systemic mRNA leakage and associated systemic proinflammatory reactions. In mouse vaccination, the naked mRNA jet injection elicited robust antigen-specific antibody production over 6 months, along with germinal center formation in LNs and the induction of both CD4- and CD8-positive T cells. By targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, this approach provided protection against viral challenge. Furthermore, our approach generated neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in non-human primates at levels comparable to those observed in mice. In conclusion, our approach offers a safe and effective option for mRNA vaccines targeting infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saed Abbasi
- Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM), Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, 3-25-14 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan
| | - Miki Matsui-Masai
- Department of Research, NANO MRNA Co., Ltd., 3-25-14 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan
| | - Fumihiko Yasui
- Department of Diseases and Infection, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6, Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan
| | - Akimasa Hayashi
- Department of Pathology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2 Shinkawa, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan
| | - Theofilus A Tockary
- Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM), Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, 3-25-14 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan
| | - Yuki Mochida
- Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM), Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, 3-25-14 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan; Department of Advanced Nanomedical Engineering, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Shiro Akinaga
- Department of Research, NANO MRNA Co., Ltd., 3-25-14 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan
| | - Michinori Kohara
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6, Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan
| | - Kazunori Kataoka
- Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM), Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, 3-25-14 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan.
| | - Satoshi Uchida
- Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM), Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, 3-25-14 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan; Department of Advanced Nanomedical Engineering, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan.
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4
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Gu J, Xu Z, Liu Q, Tang S, Zhang W, Xie S, Chen X, Chen J, Yong KT, Yang C, Xu G. Building a Better Silver Bullet: Current Status and Perspectives of Non-Viral Vectors for mRNA Vaccines. Adv Healthc Mater 2024; 13:e2302409. [PMID: 37964681 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202302409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have exhibited great potential to replace conventional vaccines owing to their low risk of insertional mutagenesis, safety and efficacy, rapid and scalable production, and low-cost manufacturing. With the great achievements of chemical modification and sequence optimization methods of mRNA, the key to the success of mRNA vaccines is strictly dependent on safe and efficient gene vectors. Among various delivery platforms, non-viral mRNA vectors could represent perfect choices for future clinical translation regarding their safety, sufficient packaging capability, low immunogenicity, and versatility. In this review, the recent progress in the development of non-viral mRNA vectors is focused on. Various organic vectors including lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), polymers, peptides, and exosomes for efficient mRNA delivery are presented and summarized. Furthermore, the latest advances in clinical trials of mRNA vaccines are described. Finally, the current challenges and future possibilities for the clinical translation of these promising mRNA vectors are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayu Gu
- Department of Pharmacy, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan, University, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, 518020, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Zhourui Xu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Qiqi Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, 518060, China
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine Institute, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Shenzhen Baoan Women's and Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518102, China
| | - Shiqi Tang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Wenguang Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Shouxia Xie
- Department of Pharmacy, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan, University, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, 518020, China
- Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518020, China
| | - Xiaoyan Chen
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine Institute, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Shenzhen Baoan Women's and Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518102, China
| | - Jiajie Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Ken-Tye Yong
- School of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
| | - Chengbin Yang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Gaixia Xu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, 518060, China
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5
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Wang YS, Kumari M, Chen GH, Hong MH, Yuan JPY, Tsai JL, Wu HC. mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics: an in-depth survey of current and upcoming clinical applications. J Biomed Sci 2023; 30:84. [PMID: 37805495 PMCID: PMC10559634 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-023-00977-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023] Open
Abstract
mRNA-based drugs have tremendous potential as clinical treatments, however, a major challenge in realizing this drug class will promise to develop methods for safely delivering the bioactive agents with high efficiency and without activating the immune system. With regard to mRNA vaccines, researchers have modified the mRNA structure to enhance its stability and promote systemic tolerance of antigenic presentation in non-inflammatory contexts. Still, delivery of naked modified mRNAs is inefficient and results in low levels of antigen protein production. As such, lipid nanoparticles have been utilized to improve delivery and protect the mRNA cargo from extracellular degradation. This advance was a major milestone in the development of mRNA vaccines and dispelled skepticism about the potential of this technology to yield clinically approved medicines. Following the resounding success of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, many other mRNA-based drugs have been proposed for the treatment of a variety of diseases. This review begins with a discussion of mRNA modifications and delivery vehicles, as well as the factors that influence administration routes. Then, we summarize the potential applications of mRNA-based drugs and discuss further key points pertaining to preclinical and clinical development of mRNA drugs targeting a wide range of diseases. Finally, we discuss the latest market trends and future applications of mRNA-based drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Shiuan Wang
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Monika Kumari
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Guan-Hong Chen
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11571, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hsiang Hong
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11571, Taiwan
| | - Joyce Pei-Yi Yuan
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11571, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Ling Tsai
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Han-Chung Wu
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11571, Taiwan.
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6
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Hınçer A, Ahan RE, Aras E, Şeker UÖŞ. Making the Next Generation of Therapeutics: mRNA Meets Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:2505-2515. [PMID: 37672348 PMCID: PMC10510722 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
The development of mRNA-based therapeutics centers around the natural functioning of mRNA molecules to provide the genetic information required for protein translation. To improve the efficacy of these therapeutics and minimize side effects, researchers can focus on the features of mRNA itself or the properties of the delivery agent to achieve the desired response. The tools considered for mRNA manipulation can be improved in terms of targetability, tunability, and translatability to medicine. While ongoing studies are dedicated to improving conventional approaches, innovative approaches can also be considered to unleash the full potential of mRNA-based therapeutics. Here, we discuss the opportunities that emerged from introducing synthetic biology to mRNA therapeutics. It includes a discussion of modular self-assembled mRNA nanoparticles, logic gates on a single mRNA molecule, and other possibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmet Hınçer
- UNAM
− Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, National
Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent
University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - Recep Erdem Ahan
- UNAM
− Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, National
Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent
University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - Ebru Aras
- UNAM
− Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, National
Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent
University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - Urartu Özgür Şafak Şeker
- UNAM
− Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, National
Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent
University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
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7
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Pascolo S. Nonreplicating synthetic mRNA vaccines: A journey through the European (Journal of Immunology) history. Eur J Immunol 2023; 53:e2249941. [PMID: 37029096 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202249941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
The first worldwide article reporting that injections of synthetic nonreplicating mRNA could be used as a vaccine, which originated from a French team located in Paris, was published in the European Journal of Immunology (EJI) in 1993. It relied on work conducted by several research groups in a handful of countries since the 1960s, which put forward the precise description of eukaryotic mRNA and the method to reproduce this molecule in vitro as well as how to transfect it into mammalian cells. Thereafter, the first industrial development of this technology began in Germany in 2000, with the founding of CureVac, which stemmed from another description of a synthetic mRNA vaccine published in EJI in 2000. The first clinical studies investigating mRNA vaccines in humans were performed as collaboration between CureVac and the University of Tübingen in Germany as early as 2003. Finally, the first worldwide approved mRNA vaccine (an anti-COVID-19 vaccine) is based on the mRNA technologies developed by BioNTech since its 2008 foundation in Mainz, Germany, and earlier by the pioneering academic work of its founders. In addition to the past, present, and future of mRNA-based vaccines, the article aims to present the geographical distribution of the early work, how the development of the technology was implemented by several independent and internationally distributed research teams, as well as the controversies on the optimal way to design or formulate and administer mRNA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Pascolo
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zürich (USZ), University of Zürich (UZH), Zürich, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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8
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Wang Z, Ma W, Fu X, Qi Y, Zhao Y, Zhang S. Development and applications of mRNA treatment based on lipid nanoparticles. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 65:108130. [PMID: 36933868 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acid-based therapies such as messenger RNA have the potential to revolutionize modern medicine and enhance the performance of existing pharmaceuticals. The key challenges of mRNA-based therapies are delivering the mRNA safely and effectively to the target tissues and cells and controlling its release from the delivery vehicle. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been widely studied as drug carriers and are considered to be state-of-the-art technology for nucleic acid delivery. In this review, we begin by presenting the advantages and mechanisms of action of mRNA therapeutics. Then we discuss the design of LNP platforms based on ionizable lipids and the applications of mRNA-LNP vaccines for prevention of infectious diseases and for treatment of cancer and various genetic diseases. Finally, we describe the challenges and future prospects of mRNA-LNP therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China
| | - Wanting Ma
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China
| | - Xingxing Fu
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China
| | - Yanfei Qi
- Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Yinan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China
| | - Shubiao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China.
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9
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Sun H, Zhang Y, Wang G, Yang W, Xu Y. mRNA-Based Therapeutics in Cancer Treatment. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15020622. [PMID: 36839944 PMCID: PMC9964383 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past two decades, significant technological innovations have led to messenger RNA (mRNA) becoming a promising option for developing prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines, protein replacement therapies, and genome engineering. The success of the two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines has sparked new enthusiasm for other medical applications, particularly in cancer treatment. In vitro-transcribed (IVT) mRNAs are structurally designed to resemble naturally occurring mature mRNA. Delivery of IVT mRNA via delivery platforms such as lipid nanoparticles allows host cells to produce many copies of encoded proteins, which can serve as antigens to stimulate immune responses or as additional beneficial proteins for supplements. mRNA-based cancer therapeutics include mRNA cancer vaccines, mRNA encoding cytokines, chimeric antigen receptors, tumor suppressors, and other combination therapies. To better understand the current development and research status of mRNA therapies for cancer treatment, this review focused on the molecular design, delivery systems, and clinical indications of mRNA therapies in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Tumor Microenvironment and Inflammation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Tumor Microenvironment and Inflammation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Ge Wang
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial & Head and Neck Oncology, National Center of Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Wen Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Tumor Microenvironment and Inflammation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Yingjie Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Tumor Microenvironment and Inflammation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
- Correspondence:
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10
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A Comprehensive Review of mRNA Vaccines. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032700. [PMID: 36769023 PMCID: PMC9917162 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
mRNA vaccines have been demonstrated as a powerful alternative to traditional conventional vaccines because of their high potency, safety and efficacy, capacity for rapid clinical development, and potential for rapid, low-cost manufacturing. These vaccines have progressed from being a mere curiosity to emerging as COVID-19 pandemic vaccine front-runners. The advancements in the field of nanotechnology for developing delivery vehicles for mRNA vaccines are highly significant. In this review we have summarized each and every aspect of the mRNA vaccine. The article describes the mRNA structure, its pharmacological function of immunity induction, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), and the upstream, downstream, and formulation process of mRNA vaccine manufacturing. Additionally, mRNA vaccines in clinical trials are also described. A deep dive into the future perspectives of mRNA vaccines, such as its freeze-drying, delivery systems, and LNPs targeting antigen-presenting cells and dendritic cells, are also summarized.
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11
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Yuan Y, Gao F, Chang Y, Zhao Q, He X. Advances of mRNA vaccine in tumor: a maze of opportunities and challenges. Biomark Res 2023; 11:6. [PMID: 36650562 PMCID: PMC9845107 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-023-00449-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
High-frequency mutations in tumor genomes could be exploited as an asset for developing tumor vaccines. In recent years, with the tremendous breakthrough in genomics, intelligence algorithm, and in-depth insight of tumor immunology, it has become possible to rapidly target genomic alterations in tumor cell and rationally select vaccine targets. Among a variety of candidate vaccine platforms, the early application of mRNA was limited by instability low efficiency and excessive immunogenicity until the successful development of mRNA vaccines against SARS-COV-2 broken of technical bottleneck in vaccine preparation, allowing tumor mRNA vaccines to be prepared rapidly in an economical way with good performance of stability and efficiency. In this review, we systematically summarized the classification and characteristics of tumor antigens, the general process and methods for screening neoantigens, the strategies of vaccine preparations and advances in clinical trials, as well as presented the main challenges in the current mRNA tumor vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Yuan
- grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China ,grid.412793.a0000 0004 1799 5032Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Fan Gao
- grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China ,grid.412793.a0000 0004 1799 5032Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ying Chang
- grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China ,grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Diseases, Wuhan, China
| | - Qiu Zhao
- grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China ,grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Diseases, Wuhan, China
| | - Xingxing He
- grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China ,grid.412793.a0000 0004 1799 5032Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China ,grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Diseases, Wuhan, China
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12
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Musa HH, Musa TH. A systematic and thematic analysis of the top 100 cited articles on mRNA vaccine indexed in Scopus database. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2022; 18:2135927. [PMID: 36328513 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2135927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The success of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 implies that this technology can be applied to target any pathogen. However, the scientific production and research trends using the bibliometric method are still unknown. The top 100 most cited articles on mRNA vaccine research were obtained from the Scopus database from 1995 to 2021. Bibliometrix, an R-Package, and VOSviewer 1.6.11 were used for data analysis. There is a rapid growth in scientific outputs with a gradual increase in 2021. The United States produced 45 (45%) of the articles, followed by Germany with 15 (15%) and Israel with 10 (10%). The New England Journal of Medicine published the most papers in this field 13 (13%), followed by Nature 6(6%). Barney S. Graham was the most productive author among the top 100 most cited mRNA vaccine articles. University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, US, was the top ranking institution, having 37 (37%). The visualization map clearly and spontaneously displayed the current state and research hot spots of mRNA research from a specific perspective. The most frequent keywords were COVID-19, vaccine, mRNA vaccine, mRNA, SARS-CoV-2, and immunogenicity, among others. A systematic review of the articles provided evidence that out of 100 articles, approximately 25 (25%) were focused on vaccine production and evaluation, followed by 26 (26%) in mRNA vaccine safety and efficacy, 23 (23%) were into mRNA vaccination, 23 (23%) considered risk factors associated with mRNA vaccination, while 8 (8%) of the articles covered the issue of mRNA vaccine delivery. In addition, 42% of the articles focused on COVID-19, 17% on cancer, 8% on influenza virus, 4% on COVID-19 and kidney disease, 3% COVID-19 and myocarditis, and 3% on rabies virus, among others. The findings of this systematic and thematic analysis provided the knowledge basis for further research on mRNA vaccines globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan H Musa
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Taha H Musa
- Biomedical Research Institute, Darfur University College, Nyala, Sudan.,Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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13
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Tian Y, Deng Z, Yang P. mRNA vaccines: A novel weapon to control infectious diseases. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1008684. [PMID: 36267192 PMCID: PMC9576954 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1008684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases have always threatened human life, but with the development of vaccines, effective strategies for preventing and controlling these diseases have become available. The global outbreak of COVID-19 ushered in the advent of mRNA vaccine technologies, which quickly led to the introduction of mRNA vaccines effective against SARS-CoV-2. The success of this approach has stimulated research into the use of mRNA vaccines in the fight against other emerging as well as remerging infectious diseases. This review examines the constructive strategies and delivery systems used in mRNA vaccines and provides an overview of current clinical trials of those vaccines in the prevention of infectious diseases. The underlying mechanisms of mRNA vaccines are also discussed, including the double-edged sword of the innate immune response. Finally, the challenges but also the potential of mRNA vaccines are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuying Tian
- Faculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
| | - Zhuoya Deng
- Faculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Penghui Yang
- Faculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
- *Correspondence: Penghui Yang,
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Kumar S, Basu M, Ghosh P, Ansari A, Ghosh MK. COVID-19: Clinical status of vaccine development to date. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2022; 89:114-149. [PMID: 36184710 PMCID: PMC9538545 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.15552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced COVID-19 is a complicated disease. Clinicians are continuously facing difficulties to treat infected patients using the principle of repurposing of drugs as no specific drugs are available to treat COVID-19. To minimize the severity and mortality, global vaccination is the only hope as a potential preventive measure. After a year-long global research and clinical struggle, 165 vaccine candidates have been developed and some are currently still in the pipeline. A total of 28 candidate vaccines have been approved for use and the remainder are in different phases of clinical trials. In this comprehensive report, the authors aim to demonstrate, classify and provide up-to-date clinical trial status of all the vaccines discovered to date and specifically focus on the approved candidates. Finally, the authors specifically focused on the vaccination of different types of medically distinct populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunny Kumar
- Cancer Biology and Inflammatory Disorder DivisionCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research‐Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR‐IICB), TRUE CampusKolkataIndia
| | - Malini Basu
- Department of MicrobiologyDhruba Chand Halder CollegeIndia
| | - Pratyasha Ghosh
- Department of Economics, Bethune CollegeUniversity of CalcuttaKolkataIndia
| | - Aafreen Ansari
- Cancer Biology and Inflammatory Disorder DivisionCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research‐Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR‐IICB), TRUE CampusKolkataIndia
| | - Mrinal K. Ghosh
- Cancer Biology and Inflammatory Disorder DivisionCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research‐Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR‐IICB), TRUE CampusKolkataIndia
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15
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Chen H, Ren X, Xu S, Zhang D, Han T. Optimization of Lipid Nanoformulations for Effective mRNA Delivery. Int J Nanomedicine 2022; 17:2893-2905. [PMID: 35814615 PMCID: PMC9259059 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s363990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the value of mRNA vaccine has been widely recognized worldwide. Messenger RNA (mRNA) therapy platform provides a promising alternative to DNA delivery in non-viral gene therapy. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), as effective mRNA delivery carriers, have been highly valued by the pharmaceutical industry, and many LNPs have entered clinical trials. Methods We developed an ideal lipid nanoformulation, named LNP3, composed of 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP), 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) and cholesterol, and observed its release efficiency, sustained release, organ specific targeting and thermal stability. Results In vitro studies showed that the transfection efficiency of LNP3 was higher than that of LNPs composed of DOTAP-DOPE and DOTAP-cholesterol. The positive to negative charge ratio of LNPs is a determinant of mRNA transfer efficiency in different cell lines. We noted that the buffer affected the packaging of mRNA LNPs and identified sodium potassium magnesium calcium and glucose solution (SPMCG) as a favorable buffer formulation. LNP3 suspension can be lyophilized into a thermally stable formulation to maintain activity after rehydration both in vitro and in vivo. Finally, LNP3 showed sustained release and organ specific targeting. Conclusion We have developed an ideal lipid nanoformulation composed of DOTAP, DOPE and cholesterol for effective mRNA delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiling Chen
- Department of Hematology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xuan Ren
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shi Xu
- Therarna. Co. Ltd., Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dekui Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - TiYun Han
- Department of Gastroenterology, Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China
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16
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Qureischi M, Mohr J, Arellano-Viera E, Knudsen SE, Vohidov F, Garitano-Trojaola A. mRNA-based therapies: Preclinical and clinical applications. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 372:1-54. [PMID: 36064262 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2022.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
At the fundamental level, messenger RNA (mRNA)-based therapeutics involves the delivery of in vitro-transcribed (IVT) mRNA into the cytoplasm of a target cell, where it is translated into the desired protein. IVT mRNA presents various advantages compared to DNA and recombinant protein-based approaches that make it ideal for a broad range of therapeutic applications. IVT mRNA, which is translated in the cytoplasm after transfection into cells, can encode virtually any target protein. Notably, it does not enter the nucleus, which avoids its integration into the genome and the risk of insertional mutagenesis. The large-scale production of IVT mRNA is less complex than production of recombinant proteins, and Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant mRNA production is easily scalable, ideally poising mRNA for not only off-the-shelf, but more personalized treatment approaches. IVT mRNA's safety profile, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics, including its inherent immunostimulatory capacity, can be optimized for different therapeutic applications by harnessing a wide array of optimized sequence elements, chemical modifications, purification techniques, and delivery methods. The value of IVT mRNA was recently proved during the COVID-19 pandemic when mRNA-based vaccines outperformed the efficacy of established technologies, and millions of doses were rapidly deployed. In this review, we will discuss chemical modifications of IVT mRNA and highlight numerous preclinical and clinical applications including vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases, cancer immunotherapy, protein replacement, gene editing, and cell reprogramming.
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17
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Qin S, Tang X, Chen Y, Chen K, Fan N, Xiao W, Zheng Q, Li G, Teng Y, Wu M, Song X. mRNA-based therapeutics: powerful and versatile tools to combat diseases. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:166. [PMID: 35597779 PMCID: PMC9123296 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-01007-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 84.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The therapeutic use of messenger RNA (mRNA) has fueled great hope to combat a wide range of incurable diseases. Recent rapid advances in biotechnology and molecular medicine have enabled the production of almost any functional protein/peptide in the human body by introducing mRNA as a vaccine or therapeutic agent. This represents a rising precision medicine field with great promise for preventing and treating many intractable or genetic diseases. In addition, in vitro transcribed mRNA has achieved programmed production, which is more effective, faster in design and production, as well as more flexible and cost-effective than conventional approaches that may offer. Based on these extraordinary advantages, mRNA vaccines have the characteristics of the swiftest response to large-scale outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as the currently devastating pandemic COVID-19. It has always been the scientists’ desire to improve the stability, immunogenicity, translation efficiency, and delivery system to achieve efficient and safe delivery of mRNA. Excitingly, these scientific dreams have gradually been realized with the rapid, amazing achievements of molecular biology, RNA technology, vaccinology, and nanotechnology. In this review, we comprehensively describe mRNA-based therapeutics, including their principles, manufacture, application, effects, and shortcomings. We also highlight the importance of mRNA optimization and delivery systems in successful mRNA therapeutics and discuss the key challenges and opportunities in developing these tools into powerful and versatile tools to combat many genetic, infectious, cancer, and other refractory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shugang Qin
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaoshan Tang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuting Chen
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Kepan Chen
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Na Fan
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wen Xiao
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qian Zheng
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Guohong Li
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuqing Teng
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Min Wu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, 58203, USA
| | - Xiangrong Song
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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18
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Fang E, Liu X, Li M, Zhang Z, Song L, Zhu B, Wu X, Liu J, Zhao D, Li Y. Advances in COVID-19 mRNA vaccine development. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:94. [PMID: 35322018 PMCID: PMC8940982 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-00950-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 86.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has determined 399,600,607 cases and 5,757,562 deaths worldwide. COVID-19 is a serious threat to human health globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared COVID-19 pandemic a major public health emergency. Vaccination is the most effective and economical intervention for controlling the spread of epidemics, and consequently saving lives and protecting the health of the population. Various techniques have been employed in the development of COVID-19 vaccines. Among these, the COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine has been drawing increasing attention owing to its great application prospects and advantages, which include short development cycle, easy industrialization, simple production process, flexibility to respond to new variants, and the capacity to induce better immune response. This review summarizes current knowledge on the structural characteristics, antigen design strategies, delivery systems, industrialization potential, quality control, latest clinical trials and real-world data of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines as well as mRNA technology. Current challenges and future directions in the development of preventive mRNA vaccines for major infectious diseases are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enyue Fang
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
- Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, Co., Ltd., Wuhan, 430207, China
| | - Xiaohui Liu
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Miao Li
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Zelun Zhang
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Lifang Song
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Baiyu Zhu
- Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Xiaohong Wu
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Jingjing Liu
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Danhua Zhao
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Yuhua Li
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China.
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19
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Abstract
In the past 20 years, the mRNA vaccine technology has evolved from the first proof of concept to the first licensed vaccine against emerging pandemics such as SARS-CoV-2. Two mRNA vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2 have received emergency use authorization by US FDA, conditional marketing authorization by EMA, as well as multiple additional national regulatory authorities. The simple composition of an mRNA encoding the antigen formulated in a lipid nanoparticle enables a fast adaptation to new emerging pathogens. This can speed up vaccine development in pandemics from antigen and sequence selection to clinical trial to only a few months. mRNA vaccines are well tolerated and efficacious in animal models for multiple pathogens and will further contribute to the development of vaccines for other unaddressed diseases. Here, we give an overview of the mRNA vaccine design and factors for further optimization of this new promising technology and discuss current knowledge on the mode of action of mRNA vaccines interacting with the innate and adaptive immune system.
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20
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Huang L, Zhang L, Li W, Li S, Wen J, Li H, Liu Z. Advances in Development of mRNA-Based Therapeutics. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2022; 440:147-166. [PMID: 32683507 DOI: 10.1007/82_2020_222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Recently, mRNA-based therapeutics have been greatly boosted since the development of novel technologies of both mRNA synthesis and delivery system. Promising results were showed in both preclinical and clinical studies in the field of cancer vaccine, tumor immunotherapy, infectious disease prevention and protein replacement therapy. Recent advancements in clinical trials also encouraged scientists to attempt new applications of mRNA therapy such as gene editing and cell programming. These studies bring mRNA therapeutics closer to real-world application. Herein, we provide an overview of recent advances in mRNA-based therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Huang
- Stemirna Therapeutics Inc, Shanghai, 201206, China
| | - Luyao Zhang
- Stemirna Therapeutics Inc, Shanghai, 201206, China
| | - Weiwei Li
- Stemirna Therapeutics Inc, Shanghai, 201206, China
| | - Shiqiang Li
- Stemirna Therapeutics Inc, Shanghai, 201206, China
| | - Jianguo Wen
- Stemirna Therapeutics Inc, Shanghai, 201206, China
| | - Hangwen Li
- Stemirna Therapeutics Inc, Shanghai, 201206, China.
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21
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Zahedipour F, Zamani P, Jamialahmadi K, Jaafari MR, Sahebkar A. Vaccines targeting angiogenesis in melanoma. Eur J Pharmacol 2021; 912:174565. [PMID: 34656608 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.174565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Angiogenesis has a significant role in metastasis and progression of melanoma. Even small tumors may be susceptible to metastasis and hence lead to a worse outcome in patients with melanoma. One of the anti-angiogenic treatment approaches that is undergoing comprehensive study is specific immunotherapy. While tumor cells are challenging targets for immunotherapy due to their genetic instability and heterogeneity, endothelial cells (ECs) are genetically stable. Therefore, vaccines targeting angiogenesis in melanoma are appropriate choices that target both tumor cells and ECs while capable of inducing strong, anti-tumor immune responses with limited toxicity. The main targets of angiogenesis are VEGFs and their receptors but other potential targets have also been investigated, especially in preclinical studies. Various types of vaccines that target angiogenesis in melanoma have been studied including DNA, peptide, protein, dendritic cell-based, and endothelial cell vaccines. This review outlines a number of target antigens that are important for potential progress in developing vaccines for targeting angiogenesis in melanoma. We also discuss different types of vaccines that have been investigated, delivery mechanisms and popular adjuvants, and suggest ways to improve future clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Zahedipour
- Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Medical Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Nanotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Parvin Zamani
- Nanotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Khadijeh Jamialahmadi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mahmoud Reza Jaafari
- Nanotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
| | - Amirhossein Sahebkar
- Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia; School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
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22
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Vaccines against COVID-19: Priority to mRNA-Based Formulations. Cells 2021; 10:cells10102716. [PMID: 34685696 PMCID: PMC8534873 DOI: 10.3390/cells10102716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
As of September 2021, twenty-one anti-COVID-19 vaccines have been approved in the world. Their utilization will expedite an end to the current pandemic. Besides the usual vaccine formats that include inactivated viruses (eight approved vaccines) and protein-based vaccines (four approved vaccines), three new formats have been validated: recombinant adenovirus (six approved vaccines), DNA (one approved vaccine), and messenger RNA (mRNA, two approved vaccines). The latter was the fastest (authorized in 2020 in the EU, the USA, and Switzerland). Most Western countries have reserved or use the protein vaccines, the adenovirus vaccines, and mRNA vaccines. I describe here the different vaccine formats in the context of COVID-19, detail the three formats that are chiefly reserved or used in Europe, Canada, and the USA, and discuss why the mRNA vaccines appear to be the superior format.
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23
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Thess A, Hoerr I, Panah BY, Jung G, Dahm R. Historic nucleic acids isolated by Friedrich Miescher contain RNA besides DNA. Biol Chem 2021; 402:1179-1185. [PMID: 34523295 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2021-0226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
One hundred fifty years ago, Friedrich Miescher discovered DNA when he isolated "Nuclein"-as he named it-from nuclei of human pus cells. Miescher recognized his isolate as a new type of molecule equal in importance to proteins. He realised that it is an acid of large molecular weight and high phosphorus content. Subsequently, he discovered Nuclein also in the nuclei of other cell types, realised that it chemically defines the nucleus, and speculated on its role in proliferation, heredity and fertilisation. While now universally recognised as the discoverer of DNA, whether Miescher also discovered RNA has not yet been addressed. To determine whether his isolation also yielded RNA, we first reproduced his historic protocols. Our resulting modern Nuclein contained a significant percentage of RNA. Encouraged by this result, we then analysed a sample of Nuclein isolated by Miescher from salmon sperm. Assuming that the RNA present in this sample had degraded to nucleobases, we tested for the presence of uracil in the historic Nuclein. Detection of significant levels of uracil by LC-UV-MS demonstrates that Miescher isolated both forms of nucleic acid-DNA and RNA-and underlines the fundamental nature of his discovery for the field of molecular genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Thess
- CureVac AG, Friedrich-Miescher-Str. 15, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ingmar Hoerr
- CureVac AG, Friedrich-Miescher-Str. 15, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Günther Jung
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 18, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ralf Dahm
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, I-35131 Padua, Italy
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Ebrahimi N, Akbari M, Ghanaatian M, Roozbahani Moghaddam P, Adelian S, Borjian Boroujeni M, Yazdani E, Ahmadi A, Hamblin MR. Development of neoantigens: from identification in cancer cells to application in cancer vaccines. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 21:941-955. [PMID: 34196590 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1951246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: The discovery of neoantigens as mutated proteins specifically expressed in tumor cells but not in normal cells has led to improved cancer vaccines. Targeting neoantigens can induce anti-tumor T-cell responses to destroy tumors without damaging healthy cells. Extensive advances in genome sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis have made it possible to discover and design effective neoantigens for use in therapeutic cancer vaccines. Neoantigens-based therapeutic personalized vaccines have shown promising results in cancer immunotherapy.Areas covered: We discuss the types of cancer neoantigens that can be recognized by the immune system in this review. We also summarize the detection, identification, and design of neoantigens and their appliction in developing cancer vaccines. Finally, clinical trials of neoantigen-based vaccines, their advantages, and their limitations are reviewed. From 2015 to 2020, the authors conducted a literature search of controlled randomized trials and laboratory investigations that that focused on neoantigens, their use in the design of various types of cancer vaccines.Expert opinion: Neoantigens are cancer cell-specific antigens, which their expression leads to the immune stimulation against tumor cells. The identification and delivery of specific neoantigens to antigen-presenting cells (APCs) with the help of anti-cancer vaccines promise novel and more effective cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasim Ebrahimi
- Division of Genetics, Department Cell, and Molecular Biology & Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Maryam Akbari
- Department of Immunology, Asthma and Allergy Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoud Ghanaatian
- Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University of Jahrom, Fars, Iran
| | | | - Samaneh Adelian
- Department of Genetics, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | | | - Elnaz Yazdani
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University Of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Ahmadi
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, Faculty of Nano and Bio Science and Technology, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Michael R Hamblin
- Laser Research Centre, Faculty of Health Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, South Africa
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Tusup M, Läuchli S, Jarzebska NT, French LE, Chang YT, Vonow-Eisenring M, Su A, Kündig TM, Guenova E, Pascolo S. mRNA-Based Anti-TCR CDR3 Tumour Vaccine for T-Cell Lymphoma. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13071040. [PMID: 34371731 PMCID: PMC8308944 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13071040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient vaccination can be achieved by injections of in vitro transcribed mRNA (ivt mRNA) coding for antigens. This vaccine format is particularly versatile and allows the production of individualised vaccines conferring, T-cell immunity against specific cancer mutations. The CDR3 hypervariable regions of immune receptors (T-cell receptor, TCR or B-cell receptor, BCR) in the context of T- or B-cell leukaemia or lymphoma are targetable and specific sequences, similar to cancer mutations. We evaluated the functionality of an mRNA-based vaccine designed to trigger immunity against TCR CDR3 regions in an EL4 T-lymphoma cell line-derived murine in vivo model. Vaccination against the hypervariable TCR regions proved to be a feasible approach and allowed for protection against T-lymphoma, even though immune escape in terms of TCR downregulation paralleled the therapeutic effect. However, analysis of human cutaneous T-cell lymphoma samples indicated that, as is the case in B-lymphomas, the clonotypic receptor may be a driver mutation and is not downregulated upon treatment. Thus, vaccination against TCR CDR3 regions using customised ivt mRNA is a promising immunotherapy method to be explored for the treatment of patients with T-cell lymphomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Tusup
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland; (M.T.); (S.L.); (N.T.J.); (T.M.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Severin Läuchli
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland; (M.T.); (S.L.); (N.T.J.); (T.M.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Teresa Jarzebska
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland; (M.T.); (S.L.); (N.T.J.); (T.M.K.)
- Faculty of Science, University of Zürich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lars E. French
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany;
- Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33146, USA
| | - Yun-Tsan Chang
- Department of Dermatology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), University of Lausanne, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland;
| | - Maya Vonow-Eisenring
- Department of Immunology, University Hospital of Zürich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland;
| | | | - Thomas M. Kündig
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland; (M.T.); (S.L.); (N.T.J.); (T.M.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Emmanuella Guenova
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland; (M.T.); (S.L.); (N.T.J.); (T.M.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Dermatology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), University of Lausanne, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland;
- Correspondence: authors: (E.G.); (S.P.)
| | - Steve Pascolo
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland; (M.T.); (S.L.); (N.T.J.); (T.M.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
- Correspondence: authors: (E.G.); (S.P.)
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Beck JD, Reidenbach D, Salomon N, Sahin U, Türeci Ö, Vormehr M, Kranz LM. mRNA therapeutics in cancer immunotherapy. Mol Cancer 2021; 20:69. [PMID: 33858437 PMCID: PMC8047518 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-021-01348-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic mRNA provides a template for the synthesis of any given protein, protein fragment or peptide and lends itself to a broad range of pharmaceutical applications, including different modalities of cancer immunotherapy. With the ease of rapid, large scale Good Manufacturing Practice-grade mRNA production, mRNA is ideally poised not only for off-the shelf cancer vaccines but also for personalized neoantigen vaccination. The ability to stimulate pattern recognition receptors and thus an anti-viral type of innate immune response equips mRNA-based vaccines with inherent adjuvanticity. Nucleoside modification and elimination of double-stranded RNA can reduce the immunomodulatory activity of mRNA and increase and prolong protein production. In combination with nanoparticle-based formulations that increase transfection efficiency and facilitate lymphatic system targeting, nucleoside-modified mRNA enables efficient delivery of cytokines, costimulatory receptors, or therapeutic antibodies. Steady but transient production of the encoded bioactive molecule from the mRNA template can improve the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and safety properties as compared to the respective recombinant proteins. This may be harnessed for applications that benefit from a higher level of expression control, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified adoptive T-cell therapies. This review highlights the advancements in the field of mRNA-based cancer therapeutics, providing insights into key preclinical developments and the evolving clinical landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan D Beck
- BioNTech SE, An der Goldgrube 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniel Reidenbach
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University gGmbH, Freiligrathstraße 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nadja Salomon
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University gGmbH, Freiligrathstraße 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ugur Sahin
- BioNTech SE, An der Goldgrube 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Özlem Türeci
- BioNTech SE, An der Goldgrube 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Lena M Kranz
- BioNTech SE, An der Goldgrube 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
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Kim J, Eygeris Y, Gupta M, Sahay G. Self-assembled mRNA vaccines. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 170:83-112. [PMID: 33400957 PMCID: PMC7837307 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2020.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 240] [Impact Index Per Article: 80.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
mRNA vaccines have evolved from being a mere curiosity to emerging as COVID-19 vaccine front-runners. Recent advancements in the field of RNA technology, vaccinology, and nanotechnology have generated interest in delivering safe and effective mRNA therapeutics. In this review, we discuss design and self-assembly of mRNA vaccines. Self-assembly, a spontaneous organization of individual molecules, allows for design of nanoparticles with customizable properties. We highlight the materials commonly utilized to deliver mRNA, their physicochemical characteristics, and other relevant considerations, such as mRNA optimization, routes of administration, cellular fate, and immune activation, that are important for successful mRNA vaccination. We also examine the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines currently in clinical trials. mRNA vaccines are ready for the clinic, showing tremendous promise in the COVID-19 vaccine race, and have pushed the boundaries of gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeonghwan Kim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Robertson Life Science Building, 2730 South Moody Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA
| | - Yulia Eygeris
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Robertson Life Science Building, 2730 South Moody Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA
| | - Mohit Gupta
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Robertson Life Science Building, 2730 South Moody Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA
| | - Gaurav Sahay
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Robertson Life Science Building, 2730 South Moody Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University, Robertson Life Science Building, 2730 South Moody Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA.
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Song M, Liu C, Chen S, Zhang W. Nanocarrier-Based Drug Delivery for Melanoma Therapeutics. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22041873. [PMID: 33668591 PMCID: PMC7918190 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22041873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma, as a tumor cell derived from melanocyte transformation, has the characteristics of malignant proliferation, high metastasis, rapid recurrence, and a low survival rate. Traditional therapy has many shortcomings, including drug side effects and poor patient compliance, and so on. Therefore, the development of an effective treatment is necessary. Currently, nanotechnologies are a promising oncology treatment strategy because of their ability to effectively deliver drugs and other bioactive molecules to targeted tissues with low toxicity, thereby improving the clinical efficacy of cancer therapy. In this review, the application of nanotechnology in the treatment of melanoma is reviewed and discussed. First, the pathogenesis and molecular targets of melanoma are elucidated, and the current clinical treatment strategies and deficiencies of melanoma are then introduced. Following this, we discuss the main features of developing efficient nanosystems and introduce the latest reports in the literature on nanoparticles for the treatment of melanoma. Subsequently, we review and discuss the application of nanoparticles in chemotherapeutic agents, immunotherapy, mRNA vaccines, and photothermal therapy, as well as the potential of nanotechnology in the early diagnosis of melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Siyu Chen
- Correspondence: (S.C.); (W.Z.); Tel.: +86-(25)-8618-5645 (W.Z.)
| | - Wenxiang Zhang
- Correspondence: (S.C.); (W.Z.); Tel.: +86-(25)-8618-5645 (W.Z.)
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29
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Pascolo S. Synthetic Messenger RNA-Based Vaccines: from Scorn to Hype. Viruses 2021; 13:270. [PMID: 33572452 PMCID: PMC7916233 DOI: 10.3390/v13020270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In the race for a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the synthetic mRNA format has been shown to be the fastest one and proved to be safe and highly efficient, even at the very low dose of a few µg per injection. The mRNA vaccines are not new: vaccines that are based on attenuated mRNA viruses, such as Mumps, Measles, and Rubella, immunize by delivering their mRNAs into the cells of the vaccinated individual, who produces the viral proteins that then prime the immune response. Synthetic mRNA in liposomes can be seen as a modern, more refined, and thereby a safer version of those live attenuated RNA viruses. The anti-COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (coding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein) is the third synthetic RNA therapeutic being approved. It follows the aptamer Macugen® (which neutralizes VEGF) and the siRNA Onpattro® (which destroys the transthyretin-coding mRNA). Remarkably, the 30 µg of mRNA that are contained in the first approved anti-COVID-19 vaccine are sufficient for generating high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the virus in all injected volunteers (including participants over 65 years old). The efficacy and safety data are stunning. The distribution of these vaccines throughout the world will bring a halt to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Pascolo
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Gloriastrasse 31, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland; ; Tel.: +41-4463-42877
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland
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30
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Piyush R, Rajarshi K, Chatterjee A, Khan R, Ray S. Nucleic acid-based therapy for coronavirus disease 2019. Heliyon 2020; 6:e05007. [PMID: 32984620 PMCID: PMC7501848 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 08/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic that originated in China has already spread into more than 190 countries, resulting in huge loss of human life and many more are at the stake of losing it; if not intervened with the best therapeutics to contain the disease. For that aspect, various scientific groups are continuously involved in the development of an effective line of treatment to control the novel coronavirus from spreading rapidly. Worldwide scientists are evaluating various biomolecules and synthetic inhibitors against COVID-19; where the nucleic acid-based molecules may be considered as potential drug candidates. These molecules have been proved potentially effective against SARS-CoV, which shares high sequence similarity with SARS-CoV-2. Recent advancements in nucleic acid-based therapeutics are helpful in targeted drug delivery, safely and effectively. The use of nucleic acid-based molecules also known to regulate the level of gene expression inside the target cells. This review mainly focuses on various nucleic acid-based biologically active molecules and their therapeutic potentials in developing vaccines for SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravikant Piyush
- School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu 625021, India
| | - Keshav Rajarshi
- School of Community Science and Technology (SOCSAT) Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal 711103, India
| | - Aroni Chatterjee
- Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-Virus Research Laboratory, NICED, Kolkata, India
| | - Rajni Khan
- Motihari College of Engineering, Bariyarpur, Motihari, NH 28A, Furshatpur, Motihari, Bihar 845401, India
| | - Shashikant Ray
- Department of Biotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi Central University Motihari, 845401, India
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Lee K, Kim TS, Seo Y, Kim SY, Lee H. Combined hybrid structure of siRNA tailed IVT mRNA (ChriST mRNA) for enhancing DC maturation and subsequent anticancer T cell immunity. J Control Release 2020; 327:225-234. [PMID: 32791078 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
RNA therapeutics have received much attention in the development of anti-cancer therapies. Among them, synthetic mRNA (IVT mRNA) was investigated for cancer immunotherapy due to its abilities to express tumor associated antigens with stimulation of immune responses in dendritic cells (DCs). Despite of its great potential, several hurdles were remained such as insufficient immune stimulation and DC maturation. In this study, we aimed to present a novel IVT mRNA that can simultaneously express tumor associated antigens while suppress STAT3 proteins. Combined functions of siRNA and IVT mRNA were investigated and the hybrid structure of siRNA tailed mRNA (ChriST mRNA) was developed. We prepared the ChriST mRNA by employing polyA tail structures with RNAi sequences at the 3' end of mRNA. Complementary strands were annealed to form duplex siRNA structure to induce STAT3 gene silencing. In addition, a hybrid structure of DNA/RNA was introduced into the ChriST mRNA between polyA tail and RNAi sequences. It was expected that DNA/RNA duplex would be readily cleaved by RNase H in the intracellular environment. After the cleavage, ChriST mRNA was fully functionalized in cells and exhibited enhanced tumor specific DC maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyuri Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea; College of Pharmacy, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Gyeongnam 52828, Republic of Korea.
| | - Tae-Shin Kim
- Laboratory of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Yunmi Seo
- College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Young Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyukjin Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea.
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32
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Aligholipour Farzani T, Földes K, Ergünay K, Gurdal H, Bastug A, Ozkul A. Immunological Analysis of a CCHFV mRNA Vaccine Candidate in Mouse Models. Vaccines (Basel) 2019; 7:vaccines7030115. [PMID: 31527460 PMCID: PMC6789841 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines7030115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of new vaccine platforms against viral diseases is considered urgent. In recent years, mRNA constructs have attracted great interest in this field due to unique advantages over conventional gene transfer platforms. In the present study, we developed a new naked conventional mRNA vaccine expressing the non-optimized small (S) segment of the Ank-2 strain of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus (CCHFV). We then analyzed its single and booster dose immunogenicity and protection potential in the challenge assay in two mice models, including IFNα/β/γR-/- and C57BL/6. The results obtained from the immunological assays, namely IL-4 and IFN-gamma ELISPOT, intracellular IFN-gamma staining, in-house sandwich ELISA, and survival data, demonstrated that our construct elicited the production of anti-nucleocapsid (N) specific immune responses in both mice models. A 100% protection rate was only obtained in the booster dose group of IFNα/β/γR-/- mice, indicating that this platform needs further optimization in future studies. In conclusion, we assessed a novel approach in CCHFV vaccination by introducing a conventional mRNA platform which can be considered in future experiments as an efficient and safe way to battle this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katalin Földes
- Virology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, 06110 Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Koray Ergünay
- Virology Unit, Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Hakan Gurdal
- Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Aliye Bastug
- Infectious Disease Department, Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, 06800 Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Aykut Ozkul
- Virology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, 06110 Ankara, Turkey.
- Biotechnology Institute, Ankara University, 06560 Ankara, Turkey.
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33
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Devoldere J, Peynshaert K, Dewitte H, Vanhove C, De Groef L, Moons L, Özcan SY, Dalkara D, De Smedt SC, Remaut K. Non-viral delivery of chemically modified mRNA to the retina: Subretinal versus intravitreal administration. J Control Release 2019; 307:315-330. [PMID: 31265881 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.06.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
mRNA therapeutics have recently experienced a new wave of interest, mainly due to the discovery that chemical modifications to mRNA's molecular structure could drastically reduce its inherent immunogenicity and perceived instability. On this basis, we aimed to explore the potential of chemically stabilized mRNA for ocular applications. More specifically, we investigated the behavior of mRNA-loaded lipid-based carriers in human retinal cells (in vitro), in bovine retinal explants (ex vivo) and in mouse retinas (in vivo). We demonstrate a clear superiority of mRNA over pDNA to induce protein expression in different retinal cell types, which was further enhanced by chemical modification of the mRNA, providing up to ~1800-fold higher reporter gene expression compared to pDNA. Moreover, transgene expression could be detected for at least 20 days after a single administration of chemically modified mRNA in vitro. We furthermore determined the localization and extent of mRNA expression depending on the administration route. After subretinal (SR) administration, mRNA expression was observed in vivo and ex vivo. By contrast, intravitreal (IVT) administration resulted in limited expression in vivo. Using ex vivo bovine explants with an intact vitreoretinal (VR) interface we could attribute this to the inner limiting membrane (ILM), which presents a large barrier for non-viral delivery of mRNA, trapping mRNA complexes at the vitreal side. When the vitreous was removed, which compromises the ILM, mRNA expression was apparent and seemed to colocalize with Müller cells or photoreceptors after respectively IVT or SR administration. Taken together, this study represents a first step towards mRNA-mediated therapy for retinal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joke Devoldere
- Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Karen Peynshaert
- Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Heleen Dewitte
- Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Medical School of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 103, 1050 Jette, Belgium; Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christian Vanhove
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lies De Groef
- Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration Research Group, Animal Physiology and Neurobiology Section, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lieve Moons
- Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration Research Group, Animal Physiology and Neurobiology Section, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sinem Yilmaz Özcan
- Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry Institute; Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Deniz Dalkara
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, France
| | - Stefaan C De Smedt
- Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Katrien Remaut
- Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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Hassett KJ, Benenato KE, Jacquinet E, Lee A, Woods A, Yuzhakov O, Himansu S, Deterling J, Geilich BM, Ketova T, Mihai C, Lynn A, McFadyen I, Moore MJ, Senn JJ, Stanton MG, Almarsson Ö, Ciaramella G, Brito LA. Optimization of Lipid Nanoparticles for Intramuscular Administration of mRNA Vaccines. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2019; 15:1-11. [PMID: 30785039 PMCID: PMC6383180 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2019.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 395] [Impact Index Per Article: 79.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
mRNA vaccines have the potential to tackle many unmet medical needs that are unable to be addressed with conventional vaccine technologies. A potent and well-tolerated delivery technology is integral to fully realizing the potential of mRNA vaccines. Pre-clinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that mRNA delivered intramuscularly (IM) with first-generation lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) generates robust immune responses. Despite progress made over the past several years, there remains significant opportunity for improvement, as the most advanced LNPs were designed for intravenous (IV) delivery of siRNA to the liver. Here, we screened a panel of proprietary biodegradable ionizable lipids for both expression and immunogenicity in a rodent model when administered IM. A subset of compounds was selected and further evaluated for tolerability, immunogenicity, and expression in rodents and non-human primates (NHPs). A lead formulation was identified that yielded a robust immune response with improved tolerability. More importantly for vaccines, increased innate immune stimulation driven by LNPs does not equate to increased immunogenicity, illustrating that mRNA vaccine tolerability can be improved without affecting potency.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kerry E. Benenato
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Eric Jacquinet
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Aisha Lee
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Angela Woods
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Olga Yuzhakov
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sunny Himansu
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jessica Deterling
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Tatiana Ketova
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Cosmin Mihai
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Andy Lynn
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Iain McFadyen
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Melissa J. Moore
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Joseph J. Senn
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Örn Almarsson
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Luis A. Brito
- Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA,Corresponding author: Luis A. Brito, Moderna Therapeutics, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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35
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Scheiblhofer S, Thalhamer J, Weiss R. DNA and mRNA vaccination against allergies. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2018; 29:679-688. [PMID: 30063806 PMCID: PMC6283005 DOI: 10.1111/pai.12964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Allergen-specific immunotherapy, which is performed by subcutaneous injection or sublingual application of allergen extracts, represents an effective treatment against type I allergic diseases. However, due to the long duration and adverse reactions, only a minority of patients decides to undergo this treatment. Alternatively, early prophylactic intervention in young children has been proposed to stop the increase in patient numbers. Plasmid DNA and mRNA vaccines encoding allergens have been shown to induce T helper 1 as well as T regulatory responses, which modulate or counteract allergic T helper 2-biased reactions. With regard to prophylactic immunization, additional safety measurements are required. In contrast to crude extracts, genetic vaccines provide the allergen at high purity. Moreover, by targeting the encoded allergen to subcellular compartments for degradation, release of native allergen can be avoided. Due to inherent safety features, mRNA vaccines could be the candidates of choice for preventive allergy immunizations. The subtle priming of T helper 1 immunity induced by this vaccine type closely resembles responses of non-allergic individuals and-by boosting via natural allergen exposure-could suffice for long-term protection from type I allergy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Josef Thalhamer
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Richard Weiss
- Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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Chiang CLL, Kandalaft LE. In vivo cancer vaccination: Which dendritic cells to target and how? Cancer Treat Rev 2018; 71:88-101. [PMID: 30390423 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2018.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 10/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The field of cancer immunotherapy has been revolutionized with the use of immune checkpoint blockade antibodies such as anti-programmed cell death 1 protein (PD-1) and chimeric antigen receptor T cells. Significant clinical benefits are observed in different cancer types with these treatments. While considerable efforts are made in augmenting tumor-specific T cell responses with these therapies, other immunotherapies that actively stimulate endogenous anti-tumor T cells and generating long-term memory have received less attention. Given the high cost of cancer immunotherapies especially with chimeric antigen receptor T cells, not many patients will have access to such treatments. The next-generation of cancer immunotherapy could entail in vivo cancer vaccination to activate both the innate and adaptive anti-tumor responses. This could potentially be achieved via in vivo targeting of dendritic cells which are an indispensable link between the innate and adaptive immunities. Dendritic cells highly expressed toll-like receptors for recognizing and eliminating pathogens. Synthetic toll-like receptors agonists could be synthesized at a low cost and have shown promise in preclinical and clinical trials. As different subsets of human dendritic cells exist in the immune system, activation with different toll-like receptor agonists could exert profound effects on the quality and magnitude of anti-tumor T cell responses. Here, we reviewed the different subsets of human dendritic cells. Using published preclinical and clinical cancers studies available on PubMed, we discussed the use of clinically approved and emerging toll-like receptor agonists to activate dendritic cells in vivo for cancer immunotherapy. Finally, we searched www.clinicaltrials.gov and summarized the active cancer trials evaluating toll-like receptor agonists as an adjuvant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Lai-Lai Chiang
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne CH-1066, Switzerland
| | - Lana E Kandalaft
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne CH-1066, Switzerland; Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Smilow Translational Research Center 8th Floor, 186B, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Cancer Vaccine Immunotherapy with RNA-Loaded Liposomes. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19102890. [PMID: 30249040 PMCID: PMC6213933 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19102890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer vaccines may be harnessed to incite immunity against poorly immunogenic tumors, however they have failed in therapeutic settings. Poor antigenicity coupled with systemic and intratumoral immune suppression have been significant drawbacks. RNA encoding for tumor associated or specific epitopes can serve as a more immunogenic and expeditious trigger of anti-tumor immunity. RNA stimulates innate immunity through toll like receptor stimulation producing type I interferon, and it mediates potent adaptive responses. Since RNA is inherently unstable, delivery systems have been developed to protect and deliver it to intended targets in vivo. In this review, we discuss liposomes as RNA delivery vehicles and their role as cancer vaccines.
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Rauch S, Jasny E, Schmidt KE, Petsch B. New Vaccine Technologies to Combat Outbreak Situations. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1963. [PMID: 30283434 PMCID: PMC6156540 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 352] [Impact Index Per Article: 58.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ever since the development of the first vaccine more than 200 years ago, vaccinations have greatly decreased the burden of infectious diseases worldwide, famously leading to the eradication of small pox and allowing the restriction of diseases such as polio, tetanus, diphtheria, and measles. A multitude of research efforts focuses on the improvement of established and the discovery of new vaccines such as the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine in 2006. However, radical changes in the density, age distribution and traveling habits of the population worldwide as well as the changing climate favor the emergence of old and new pathogens that bear the risk of becoming pandemic threats. In recent years, the rapid spread of severe infections such as HIV, SARS, Ebola, and Zika have highlighted the dire need for global preparedness for pandemics, which necessitates the extremely rapid development and comprehensive distribution of vaccines against potentially previously unknown pathogens. What is more, the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria calls for new approaches to prevent infections. Given these changes, established methods for the identification of new vaccine candidates are no longer sufficient to ensure global protection. Hence, new vaccine technologies able to achieve rapid development as well as large scale production are of pivotal importance. This review will discuss viral vector and nucleic acid-based vaccines (DNA and mRNA vaccines) as new approaches that might be able to tackle these challenges to global health.
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Wang Y, Zhang L, Xu Z, Miao L, Huang L. mRNA Vaccine with Antigen-Specific Checkpoint Blockade Induces an Enhanced Immune Response against Established Melanoma. Mol Ther 2017; 26:420-434. [PMID: 29249397 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2017.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We reported a preclinical cancer vaccine that simultaneously introduced an mRNA antigen and an immune checkpoint blocking siRNA into the antigen-presenting cells. This was achieved by formulating both nucleic acid-based immunotherapeutics into a lipid-coated calcium phosphate (LCP) nanoparticle (NP) as a carrier to address the delivery challenge. The PEGylated lipid NPs were functionalized with mannose as the targeting ligand to facilitate the preferential uptake by the dendritic cells (DCs) in the lymph nodes after subcutaneous administration. The calcium phosphate core allowed acid-mediated dissolution in the endo-lysosomal compartment, which prompted rapid release of cargoes after cellular internalization of NP. LCP mRNA vaccine encoding TRP2 elicited a robust antigen-specific cytotoxic T cell response and a humoral immune response in a C57BL/6 mouse model of B16F10 melanoma. The immune responses efficaciously inhibited the melanoma growth. Moreover, co-delivery of PD-L1 siRNA and mRNA vaccine resulted in the downregulation of PD-L1 in the DCs that presented tumor antigens, significantly prompting T cell activation and proliferation. The enhanced T cell response had a profound inhibitory effect on tumor growth and metastasis. Generally, the work provided a paradigm for the development of an mRNA vaccine carrier to boost the anticancer immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhua Wang
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, and Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Lu Zhang
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, and Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Zhenghong Xu
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, and Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Lei Miao
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, and Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Leaf Huang
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, and Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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Alberer M, Gnad-Vogt U, Hong HS, Mehr KT, Backert L, Finak G, Gottardo R, Bica MA, Garofano A, Koch SD, Fotin-Mleczek M, Hoerr I, Clemens R, von Sonnenburg F. Safety and immunogenicity of a mRNA rabies vaccine in healthy adults: an open-label, non-randomised, prospective, first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial. Lancet 2017; 390:1511-1520. [PMID: 28754494 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(17)31665-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 304] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vaccines based on mRNA coding for antigens have been shown to be safe and immunogenic in preclinical models. We aimed to report results of the first-in-human proof-of-concept clinical trial in healthy adults of a prophylactic mRNA-based vaccine encoding rabies virus glycoprotein (CV7201). METHODS We did an open-label, uncontrolled, prospective, phase 1 clinical trial at one centre in Munich, Germany. Healthy male and female volunteers (aged 18-40 years) with no history of rabies vaccination were sequentially enrolled. They received three doses of CV7201 intradermally or intramuscularly by needle-syringe or one of three needle-free devices. Escalating doses were given to subsequent cohorts, and one cohort received a booster dose after 1 year. The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability. The secondary endpoint was to determine the lowest dose of CV7201 to elicit rabies virus neutralising titres equal to or greater than the WHO-specified protective antibody titre of 0·5 IU/mL. The study is continuing for long-term safety and immunogenicity follow-up. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02241135. FINDINGS Between Oct 21, 2013, and Jan 11, 2016, we enrolled and vaccinated 101 participants with 306 doses of mRNA (80-640 μg) by needle-syringe (18 intradermally and 24 intramuscularly) or needle-free devices (46 intradermally and 13 intramuscularly). In the 7 days post vaccination, 60 (94%) of 64 intradermally vaccinated participants and 36 (97%) of 37 intramuscularly vaccinated participants reported solicited injection site reactions, and 50 (78%) of 64 intradermally vaccinated participants and 29 (78%) of 37 intramuscularly vaccinated participants reported solicited systemic adverse events, including ten grade 3 events. One unexpected, possibly related, serious adverse reaction that occurred 7 days after a 640 μg intramuscular dose resolved without sequelae. mRNA vaccination by needle-free intradermal or intramuscular device injection induced virus neutralising antibody titres of 0·5 IU/mL or more across dose levels and schedules in 32 (71%) of 45 participants given 80 μg or 160 μg CV7201 doses intradermally and six (46%) of 13 participants given 200 μg or 400 μg CV7201 doses intramuscularly. 1 year later, eight (57%) of 14 participants boosted with an 80 μg needle-free intradermal dose of CV7201 achieved titres of 0·5 IU/mL or more. Conversely, intradermal or intramuscular needle-syringe injection was ineffective, with only one participant (who received 320 μg intradermally) showing a detectable immune response. INTERPRETATION This first-ever demonstration in human beings shows that a prophylactic mRNA-based candidate vaccine can induce boostable functional antibodies against a viral antigen when administered with a needle-free device, although not when injected by a needle-syringe. The vaccine was generally safe with a reasonable tolerability profile. FUNDING CureVac AG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Alberer
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical Centre of the University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Linus Backert
- Quantitative Biology Centre, and Applied Bioinformatics, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Greg Finak
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Raphael Gottardo
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Frank von Sonnenburg
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical Centre of the University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
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Oberli MA, Reichmuth AM, Dorkin JR, Mitchell MJ, Fenton OS, Jaklenec A, Anderson DG, Langer R, Blankschtein D. Lipid Nanoparticle Assisted mRNA Delivery for Potent Cancer Immunotherapy. NANO LETTERS 2017; 17:1326-1335. [PMID: 28273716 PMCID: PMC5523404 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b03329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 445] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
The induction of a strong cytotoxic T cell response is an important prerequisite for successful immunotherapy against many viral diseases and tumors. Nucleotide vaccines, including mRNA vaccines with their intracellular antigen synthesis, have been shown to be potent activators of a cytotoxic immune response. The intracellular delivery of mRNA vaccines to the cytosol of antigen presenting immune cells is still not sufficiently well understood. Here, we report on the development of a lipid nanoparticle formulation for the delivery of mRNA vaccines to induce a cytotoxic CD 8 T cell response. We show transfection of dendritic cells, macrophages, and neutrophils. The efficacy of the vaccine was tested in an aggressive B16F10 melanoma model. We found a strong CD 8 T cell activation after a single immunization. Treatment of B16F10 melanoma tumors with lipid nanoparticles containing mRNA coding for the tumor-associated antigens gp100 and TRP2 resulted in tumor shrinkage and extended the overall survival of the treated mice. The immune response can be further increased by the incorporation of the adjuvant LPS. In conclusion, the lipid nanoparticle formulation presented here is a promising vector for mRNA vaccine delivery, one that is capable of inducing a strong cytotoxic T cell response. Further optimization, including the incorporation of different adjuvants, will likely enhance the potency of the vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias A. Oberli
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Andreas M. Reichmuth
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - J. Robert Dorkin
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Michael J. Mitchell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Owen S. Fenton
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Ana Jaklenec
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Daniel G. Anderson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Robert Langer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Daniel Blankschtein
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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Abstract
During the last decade, mRNA became increasingly recognized as a versatile tool for the development of new innovative therapeutics. Especially for vaccine development, mRNA is of outstanding interest and numerous clinical trials have been initiated. Strikingly, all of these studies have proven that large-scale GMP production of mRNA is feasible and concordantly report a favorable safety profile of mRNA vaccines. Induction of T-cell immunity is a multi-faceted process comprising antigen acquisition, antigen processing and presentation, as well as immune stimulation. The effectiveness of mRNA vaccines is critically dependent on making the antigen(s) of interest available to professional antigen-presenting cells, especially DCs. Efficient delivery of mRNA into DCs in vivo remains a major challenge in the mRNA vaccine field. This review summarizes the principles of mRNA vaccines and highlights the importance of in vivo mRNA delivery and recent advances in harnessing their therapeutic potential.
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43
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Hong HS, Koch SD, Scheel B, Gnad-Vogt U, Schröder A, Kallen KJ, Wiegand V, Backert L, Kohlbacher O, Hoerr I, Fotin-Mleczek M, Billingsley JM. Distinct transcriptional changes in non-small cell lung cancer patients associated with multi-antigenic RNActive® CV9201 immunotherapy. Oncoimmunology 2016; 5:e1249560. [PMID: 28123889 PMCID: PMC5214806 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2016.1249560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Revised: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently completed a phase I/IIa trial of RNActive® CV9201, a novel mRNA-based therapeutic vaccine targeting five tumor-associated antigens in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The aim of the study presented here was to comprehensively analyze changes in peripheral blood during the vaccination period and to generate hypotheses facilitating the identification of potential biomarkers correlating with differential clinical outcomes post RNActive® immunotherapy. We performed whole-genome expression profiling in a subgroup of 22 stage IV NSCLC patients before and after initiation of treatment with CV9201. Utilizing an analytic approach based on blood transcriptional modules (BTMs), a previously described, sensitive tool for blood transcriptome data analysis, patients segregated into two major clusters based on transcriptional changes post RNActive® treatment. The first group of patients was characterized by the upregulation of an expression signature associated with myeloid cells and inflammation, whereas the other group exhibited an expression signature associated with T and NK cells. Patients with an enrichment of T and NK cell modules after treatment compared to baseline exhibited significantly longer progression-free and overall survival compared to patients with an upregulation of myeloid cell and inflammatory modules. Notably, these gene expression signatures were mutually exclusive and inversely correlated. Furthermore, our findings correlated with phenotypic data derived by flow cytometry as well as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Our study thus demonstrates non-overlapping, distinct transcriptional profiles correlating with survival warranting further validation for the development of biomarker candidates for mRNA-based immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Linus Backert
- Center for Bioinformatics and Center for Bioinformatics, University of Tübingen , Germany
| | - Oliver Kohlbacher
- Center for Bioinformatics and Center for Bioinformatics, University of Tübingen, Germany; Quantitative Biology Center, University of Tübingen, Germany; Biomolecular Interactions, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | | | - James M Billingsley
- Division of Immunology, New England Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Southborough , MA, USA
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Sayour EJ, De Leon G, Pham C, Grippin A, Kemeny H, Chua J, Huang J, Sampson JH, Sanchez-Perez L, Flores C, Mitchell DA. Systemic activation of antigen-presenting cells via RNA-loaded nanoparticles. Oncoimmunology 2016; 6:e1256527. [PMID: 28197373 PMCID: PMC5283636 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2016.1256527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Revised: 10/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
While RNA-pulsed dendritic cell (DC) vaccines have shown promise, the advancement of cellular therapeutics is fraught with developmental challenges. To circumvent the challenges of cellular immunotherapeutics, we developed clinically translatable nanoliposomes that can be combined with tumor-derived RNA to generate personalized tumor RNA-nanoparticles (NPs) with considerable scale-up capacity. RNA-NPs bypass MHC restriction, are amenable to central distribution, and can provide near immediate immune induction. We screened commercially available nanoliposomal preparations and identified the cationic lipid 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP) as an efficient mRNA courier to antigen-presenting cells (APCs). When administered intravenously, RNA-NPs mediate systemic activation of APCs in reticuloendothelial organs such as the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. RNA-NPs increase percent expression of MHC class I/II, B7 co-stimulatory molecules, and maturation markers on APCs (all vital for T-cell activation). RNA-NPs also increase activation markers on tumor APCs and elicit potent expansion of antigen-specific T-cells superior to peptide vaccines formulated in complete Freund's adjuvant. We demonstrate that both model antigen-encoding and physiologically-relevant tumor-derived RNA-NPs expand potent antitumor T-cell immunity. RNA-NPs were shown to induce antitumor efficacy in a vaccine model and functioned as a suitable alternative to DCs in a stringent cellular immunotherapy model for a radiation/temozolomide resistant invasive murine high-grade glioma. Although cancer vaccines have suffered from weak immunogenicity, we have advanced a RNA-NP formulation that systemically activates host APCs precipitating activated T-cell frequencies necessary to engender antitumor efficacy. RNA-NPs can thus be harnessed as a more feasible and effective immunotherapy to re-program host-immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias J Sayour
- Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Gabriel De Leon
- Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Christina Pham
- Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Adam Grippin
- Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Hanna Kemeny
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center , Durham, NC, USA
| | - Joshua Chua
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center , Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jianping Huang
- Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - John H Sampson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center , Durham, NC, USA
| | - Luis Sanchez-Perez
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center , Durham, NC, USA
| | - Catherine Flores
- Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Duane A Mitchell
- Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA
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Selmi A, Vascotto F, Kautz-Neu K, Türeci Ö, Sahin U, von Stebut E, Diken M, Kreiter S. Uptake of synthetic naked RNA by skin-resident dendritic cells via macropinocytosis allows antigen expression and induction of T-cell responses in mice. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2016; 65:1075-83. [PMID: 27422115 PMCID: PMC11028682 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-016-1869-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Intradermal administration of antigen-encoding RNA has entered clinical testing for cancer vaccination. However, insight into the underlying mechanism of RNA uptake, translation and antigen presentation is still limited. Utilizing pharmacologically optimized naked RNA, the dose-response kinetics revealed a rise in reporter signal with increasing RNA amounts and a prolonged RNA translation of reporter protein up to 30 days after intradermal injection. Dendritic cells (DCs) in the dermis were shown to engulf RNA, and the signal arising from the reporter RNA was significantly diminished after DC depletion. Macropinocytosis was relevant for intradermal RNA uptake and translation in vitro and in vivo. By combining intradermal RNA vaccination and inhibition of macropinocytosis, we show that effective priming of antigen-specific CD8(+) T-cells also relies on this uptake mechanism. This report demonstrates that direct antigen translation by dermal DCs after intradermal naked RNA vaccination is relevant for efficient priming of antigen-specific T-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abderraouf Selmi
- TRON-Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University gGmbH, Freiligrathstraße 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Fulvia Vascotto
- TRON-Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University gGmbH, Freiligrathstraße 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Kordula Kautz-Neu
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Özlem Türeci
- Cluster for Individualized Immune Intervention (CI3), Mainz, Germany
| | - Ugur Sahin
- TRON-Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University gGmbH, Freiligrathstraße 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Mainz, Germany
| | - Esther von Stebut
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Mustafa Diken
- TRON-Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University gGmbH, Freiligrathstraße 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
- BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Sebastian Kreiter
- TRON-Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University gGmbH, Freiligrathstraße 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
- BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Mainz, Germany.
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Schnee M, Vogel AB, Voss D, Petsch B, Baumhof P, Kramps T, Stitz L. An mRNA Vaccine Encoding Rabies Virus Glycoprotein Induces Protection against Lethal Infection in Mice and Correlates of Protection in Adult and Newborn Pigs. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004746. [PMID: 27336830 PMCID: PMC4918980 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Rabies is a zoonotic infectious disease of the central nervous system (CNS). In unvaccinated or untreated subjects, rabies virus infection causes severe neurological symptoms and is invariably fatal. Despite the long-standing existence of effective vaccines, vaccine availability remains insufficient, with high numbers of fatal infections mostly in developing countries. Nucleic acid based vaccines have proven convincingly as a new technology for the fast development of vaccines against newly emerging pathogens, diseases where no vaccine exists or for replacing already existing vaccines. We used an optimized non-replicating rabies virus glycoprotein (RABV-G) encoding messenger RNA (mRNA) to induce potent neutralizing antibodies (VN titers) in mice and domestic pigs. Functional antibody titers were followed in mice for up to one year and titers remained stable for the entire observation period in all dose groups. T cell analysis revealed the induction of both, specific CD4+ as well as CD8+ T cells by RABV-G mRNA, with the induced CD4+ T cells being higher than those induced by a licensed vaccine. Notably, RABV-G mRNA vaccinated mice were protected against lethal intracerebral challenge infection. Inhibition of viral replication by vaccination was verified by qRT-PCR. Furthermore, we demonstrate that CD4+ T cells are crucial for the generation of neutralizing antibodies. In domestic pigs we were able to induce VN titers that correlate with protection in adult and newborn pigs. This study demonstrates the feasibility of a non-replicating mRNA rabies vaccine in small and large animals and highlights the promises of mRNA vaccines for the prevention of infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Lothar Stitz
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- * E-mail: (BP); (LS)
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Abstract
Poly ribonucleic acid (RNA) is the only polymer capable to recapitulate all processes of life: containment of genetic information, enzymatic activities and capacity to create defined 3D structures. Since it has a remarkable chemical stability (at neutral or acidic pH) and can be modified to enhance/reduce particular features (e.g., stability in biological RNase containing milieus or recognition by immune sensors), it is a particularly versatile and ideal active pharmaceutical ingredient. However, the utilization of RNA as a gene vehicle (messenger RNA, mRNA) for therapy has only recently been exploited. Within this scope, mRNA-based vaccines designed to trigger anti-cancer, anti-virus or anti-allergy immune responses have been developed. Modifications of mRNA vectors and implementation of adequate formulations have allowed to turn this natural superlative biological molecule into a safe active pharmaceutical ingredient that can virtually address any medical need including vaccination or immunotherapy. This is the newest great message delivered by this messenger.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Pascolo
- University Hospital of Zurich Dermatology, Gloriasstrasse 31, Zurich, Switzerland
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48
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Abstract
Intranodal immunization with antigen-encoding naked mRNA has proven to be an efficacious and safe approach to induce antitumor immunity. Thanks to its unique characteristics, mRNA can act not only as a source for antigen but also as an adjuvant for activation of the immune system. The search for additional adjuvants that can be combined with mRNA to further improve the potency of the immunization revealed Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) ligand as a potent candidate. Systemic administration of the dendritic cell-activating FLT3 ligand prior to or along with mRNA immunization-enhanced priming and expansion of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells in lymphoid organs, T-cell homing into melanoma tumors, and therapeutic activity of the intranodally administered mRNA. Both compounds demonstrate a successful combination in terms of boosting the immune response. This chapter describes methods for intranodal immunization with naked mRNA by co-administration of FLT3 ligand, which leads to strong synergistic effects.
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Park HJ, Ko HL, Jung SY, Jo HB, Nam JH. The Characteristics of RNA Vaccine; its Strengths and Weaknesses. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.4167/jbv.2016.46.3.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hyo-Jung Park
- Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Hae Li Ko
- Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Seo-Yeon Jung
- Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Han-Byeol Jo
- Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Jae-Hwan Nam
- Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
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50
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RNA-Based Vaccines in Cancer Immunotherapy. J Immunol Res 2015; 2015:794528. [PMID: 26665011 PMCID: PMC4668311 DOI: 10.1155/2015/794528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Revised: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 11/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA vaccines traditionally consist of messenger RNA synthesized by in vitro transcription using a bacteriophage RNA polymerase and template DNA that encodes the antigen(s) of interest. Once administered and internalized by host cells, the mRNA transcripts are translated directly in the cytoplasm and then the resulting antigens are presented to antigen presenting cells to stimulate an immune response. Alternatively, dendritic cells can be loaded with either tumor associated antigen mRNA or total tumor RNA and delivered to the host to elicit a specific immune response. In this review, we will explain why RNA vaccines represent an attractive platform for cancer immunotherapy, discuss modifications to RNA structure that have been developed to optimize mRNA vaccine stability and translational efficiency, and describe strategies for nonviral delivery of mRNA vaccines, highlighting key preclinical and clinical data related to cancer immunotherapy.
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