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Gong Y, Yong D, Liu G, Xu J, Ding J, Jia W. A Novel Self-Amplifying mRNA with Decreased Cytotoxicity and Enhanced Protein Expression by Macrodomain Mutations. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2402936. [PMID: 39313862 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202402936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 09/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
The efficacy and safety of self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA) have been demonstrated in COVID-19 vaccine applications. Unlike conventional non-replicating mRNA (nrmRNA), saRNA offers a key advantage: its self-replication mechanism fosters efficient expression of the encoded protein, leading to substantial dose savings during administration. Consequently, there is a growing interest in further optimizing the expression efficiency of saRNA. In this study, in vitro adaptive passaging of saRNA is conducted under exogenous interferon pressure, which revealed several mutations in the nonstructural protein (NSP). Notably, two stable mutations, Q48P and I113F, situated in the NSP3 macrodomain (MD), attenuated its mono adenosine diphosphate ribose (MAR) hydrolysis activity and exhibited decreased replication but increased payload expression compared to wild-type saRNA (wt saRNA). Transcriptome sequencing analysis unveils diminished activation of the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) sensor and, consequently, a significantly reduced innate immune response compared to wt saRNA. Furthermore, the mutant saRNA demonstrated less translation inhibition and cell apoptosis than wt saRNA, culminating in higher protein expression both in vitro and in vivo. These findings underscore the potential of reducing saRNA replication-dependent dsRNA-induced innate immune responses through genetic modification as a valuable strategy for optimizing saRNA, enhancing payload translation efficiency, and mitigating saRNA cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Gong
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Co. Ltd, Jiading District, Shanghai, 200000, China
| | - Danni Yong
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Co. Ltd, Jiading District, Shanghai, 200000, China
| | - Gensheng Liu
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Co. Ltd, Jiading District, Shanghai, 200000, China
| | - Jiang Xu
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Co. Ltd, Jiading District, Shanghai, 200000, China
| | - Jun Ding
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Co. Ltd, Jiading District, Shanghai, 200000, China
- Virogin Biotech Canada Ltd, Vancouver, BC, V6V 3A4, Canada
| | - William Jia
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Co. Ltd, Jiading District, Shanghai, 200000, China
- Virogin Biotech Canada Ltd, Vancouver, BC, V6V 3A4, Canada
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Rawle DJ, Hugo LE, Cox AL, Devine GJ, Suhrbier A. Generating prophylactic immunity against arboviruses in vertebrates and invertebrates. Nat Rev Immunol 2024; 24:621-636. [PMID: 38570719 DOI: 10.1038/s41577-024-01016-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
The World Health Organization recently declared a global initiative to control arboviral diseases. These are mainly caused by pathogenic flaviviruses (such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika viruses) and alphaviruses (such as chikungunya and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses). Vaccines represent key interventions for these viruses, with licensed human and/or veterinary vaccines being available for several members of both genera. However, a hurdle for the licensing of new vaccines is the epidemic nature of many arboviruses, which presents logistical challenges for phase III efficacy trials. Furthermore, our ability to predict or measure the post-vaccination immune responses that are sufficient for subclinical outcomes post-infection is limited. Given that arboviruses are also subject to control by the immune system of their insect vectors, several approaches are now emerging that aim to augment antiviral immunity in mosquitoes, including Wolbachia infection, transgenic mosquitoes, insect-specific viruses and paratransgenesis. In this Review, we discuss recent advances, current challenges and future prospects in exploiting both vertebrate and invertebrate immune systems for the control of flaviviral and alphaviral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Rawle
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Leon E Hugo
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Abigail L Cox
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Gregor J Devine
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- GVN Centre of Excellence, Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andreas Suhrbier
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- GVN Centre of Excellence, Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
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Wu Z, Sun W, Qi H. Recent Advancements in mRNA Vaccines: From Target Selection to Delivery Systems. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:873. [PMID: 39203999 PMCID: PMC11359327 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12080873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 09/03/2024] Open
Abstract
mRNA vaccines are leading a medical revolution. mRNA technologies utilize the host's own cells as bio-factories to produce proteins that serve as antigens. This revolutionary approach circumvents the complicated processes involved in traditional vaccine production and empowers vaccines with the ability to respond to emerging or mutated infectious diseases rapidly. Additionally, the robust cellular immune response elicited by mRNA vaccines has shown significant promise in cancer treatment. However, the inherent instability of mRNA and the complexity of tumor immunity have limited its broader application. Although the emergence of pseudouridine and ionizable cationic lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) made the clinical application of mRNA possible, there remains substantial potential for further improvement of the immunogenicity of delivered antigens and preventive or therapeutic effects of mRNA technology. Here, we review the latest advancements in mRNA vaccines, including but not limited to target selection and delivery systems. This review offers a multifaceted perspective on this rapidly evolving field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyan Wu
- Newish Biological R&D Center, Beijing 100101, China;
| | - Weilu Sun
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK;
| | - Hailong Qi
- Newish Biological R&D Center, Beijing 100101, China;
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Islam F, Lewis MR, Craig JD, Leyendecker PM, Deans TL. Advancing in vivo reprogramming with synthetic biology. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2024; 87:103109. [PMID: 38520824 PMCID: PMC11162311 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Reprogramming cells will play a fundamental role in shaping the future of cell therapies by developing new strategies to engineer cells for improved performance and higher-order physiological functions. Approaches in synthetic biology harness cells' natural ability to sense diverse signals, integrate environmental inputs to make decisions, and execute complex behaviors based on the health of the organism or tissue. In this review, we highlight strategies in synthetic biology to reprogram cells, and discuss how recent approaches in the delivery of modified mRNA have created new opportunities to alter cell function in vivo. Finally, we discuss how combining concepts from synthetic biology and the delivery of mRNA in vivo could provide a platform for innovation to advance in vivo cellular reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhana Islam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Mitchell R Lewis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - James D Craig
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Peyton M Leyendecker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Tara L Deans
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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Yıldız A, Răileanu C, Beissert T. Trans-Amplifying RNA: A Journey from Alphavirus Research to Future Vaccines. Viruses 2024; 16:503. [PMID: 38675846 PMCID: PMC11055088 DOI: 10.3390/v16040503] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Replicating RNA, including self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) and trans-amplifying RNA (taRNA), holds great potential for advancing the next generation of RNA-based vaccines. Unlike in vitro transcribed mRNA found in most current RNA vaccines, saRNA or taRNA can be massively replicated within cells in the presence of RNA-amplifying enzymes known as replicases. We recently demonstrated that this property could enhance immune responses with minimal injected RNA amounts. In saRNA-based vaccines, replicase and antigens are encoded on the same mRNA molecule, resulting in very long RNA sequences, which poses significant challenges in production, delivery, and stability. In taRNA-based vaccines, these challenges can be overcome by splitting the replication system into two parts: one that encodes replicase and the other that encodes a short antigen-encoding RNA called transreplicon. Here, we review the identification and use of transreplicon RNA in alphavirus research, with a focus on the development of novel taRNA technology as a state-of-the art vaccine platform. Additionally, we discuss remaining challenges essential to the clinical application and highlight the potential benefits related to the unique properties of this future vaccine platform.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tim Beissert
- TRON—Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (A.Y.); (C.R.)
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Dolgin E. Self-copying RNA vaccine wins first full approval: what's next? Nature 2023; 624:236-237. [PMID: 38057473 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-03859-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
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Komori M, Morey AL, Quiñones-Molina AA, Fofana J, Romero L, Peters E, Matsuda K, Gummuluru S, Smith JF, Akahata W, Akiyama H. Incorporation of 5 methylcytidine alleviates innate immune response to self-amplifying RNA vaccine. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.01.565056. [PMID: 37961509 PMCID: PMC10634970 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.01.565056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
In order to improve vaccine effectiveness and safety profile of existing synthetic RNA-based vaccines, we have developed a self-amplifying RNA (saRNA)-based vaccine expressing membrane-anchored receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 S protein (S-RBD) and have demonstrated that a minimal dose of this saRNA vaccine elicits robust immune responses. Results from a recent clinical trial with 5-methylcytidine (5mC) incorporating saRNA vaccine demonstrated reduced vaccine-induced adverse effects while maintaining robust humoral responses. In this study, we investigate the mechanisms accounting for induction of efficient innate and adaptive immune responses and attenuated adverse effects induced by the 5mC-incorporated saRNA. We show that the 5mC-incorporating saRNA platform leads to prolonged and robust expression of antigen, while induction of type-I interferon (IFN-I), a key driver of reactogenicity, is attenuated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), but not in macrophages and dendritic cells. Interestingly, we find that the major cellular source of IFN-I production in PBMCs is plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which is attenuated upon 5mC incorporation in saRNA. In addition, we demonstrate that monocytes also play an important role in amplifying proinflammatory responses. Furthermore, we show that the detection of saRNA is mediated by a host cytosolic RNA sensor, RIG-I. Importantly, 5mC-incorporating saRNA vaccine candidate produced robust IgG responses against S-RBD upon injection in mice, thus providing strong support for the potential clinical use of 5mC-incorporating saRNA vaccines.
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