MIT Developed RNA Vaccines Programmable for Different Diseases
Tests on mice showed the effectiveness of vaccines against Ebola virus, H1N1 virus, Toxoplasma gondii
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as have developed a new type of vaccine that can be “programmed” for various diseases. Vaccine production takes a week, which allows you to quickly start its release with the spread of any disease.
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The vaccine contains strands of messenger RNA. This genetic material may contain information about any viral or bacterial protein. RNA strands are “packed” into molecules that deliver RNA to cells, where the process of translation takes place, followed by the synthesis of proteins that activate the immune system of the host.
According to the developers, in addition to infectious diseases, this vaccine can be used to fight cancer. With the help of an RNA vaccine, the host’s immune system can be taught to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
“This achievement allows us to develop vaccines against new diseases in just seven days, opening up the ability to quickly respond to unexpected outbreaks of viral diseases, as well as modify or improve vaccines,” said Daniel Anderson, one of the project participants. Work on vaccines scientist and colleagues published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" on July 4.
Inactivated vaccines are commonly used to combat viral diseases. The composition of vaccines of this type include viral particles, which were originally grown in culture, and then killed by heat or formaldehyde. Vaccines for vaccines are grown in laboratories - thus reducing their activity and infectivity. In order for an organism to develop immunity to such a virus, it is necessary to administer rather large doses. To enhance the effect of the vaccine, it is sometimes necessary to add adjuvants (substances that enhance the immune response). Also, multiple rounds of vaccination are required. In addition, live vaccines with attenuated viruses are also used.
Whoever deals with RNA vaccines, they cause the production of foreign copies of proteins by the host organism in an amount sufficient to effectively combat the pathogen. The idea of ​​creating programmable vaccines based on messenger RNA is not new, it is about 30 years old. But all this time it was not possible to create a reliable RNA vaccine. The main reason is that scientists could not find a safe and effective way to deliver messenger RNA to the cells of the host.
Omar Khan, one of the authors of the paper, suggested packing the RNA vaccine into a nanoparticle created from a dendrimer . This is a macromolecule with a symmetric tree structure with regular branching structure. Dendrimers are able to form complexes with other molecules, and the stability of such complexes is controlled by the state of the environment. This opens up the possibility of using dendrimers in medicine as carriers for the targeted delivery of genes or drugs. The key advantage of the dendrimer is the ability to charge such molecules positively, which will allow you to interact with RNA with a negative charge. After the dendrimers and RNA are connected, the resulting complex is folded into a spherical structure with a diameter of 150 nanometers. This is similar to the size of many viruses, and RNA vaccine molecules pass into the cells of the body in much the same way as virus proteins.
By changing the sequence of RNA, scientists can create vaccines that initiate the production of virtually any protein in the cells of the host. RNA molecules also include instructions for amplifying RNA, so that cells produce even more proteins.
A vaccine of this type is introduced into the body through a normal injection. As soon as the dendrimer-RNA complex enters the cell, the translation process is performed and the cell begins to produce a protein that provokes an immune response. At the same time, the host’s immune system forms two types of responses: there is a simultaneous production of antibodies and T cells.
MIT scientists have already performed a series of tests with mice and obtained encouraging results: only one injection of RNA vaccine causes a strong immune response of the body. The body of mice gave a powerful immune response to the Ebola virus, the H1N1 flu, Toxoplasma gondii.
“Regardless of which antigen we chose, we received a complete immune response with the production of antibodies and T-cells,” says Khan.
Researchers believe that their vaccines are safer than DNA vaccines, another alternative to conventional vaccines. Unlike DNA, RNA cannot be incorporated into the host genome and cause mutations.
Vaccine creators are confident that their product may be particularly useful for fighting the flu. The fact is that the production of conventional flu vaccines, when viruses are grown in chicken eggs, takes months. That is, the vaccine may be ready after the epidemic of a certain type of flu has passed. Here we are talking about a week.
According to experts who have familiarized themselves with the work of the creators of the RNA vaccine, this is a real revolution in the fight against infectious diseases. The fact is that such a vaccine can also be used to combat unknown diseases - it is enough to study the pathogen and change the RNA sequence.
Now the authors of the work founded the company and began the process of licensing the technology. In the near future they are going to begin commercial production of their vaccines. And not only against the already mentioned diseases, but also against Zika virus and Lyme disease.
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as have developed a new type of vaccine that can be “programmed” for various diseases. Vaccine production takes a week, which allows you to quickly start its release with the spread of any disease.
')
The vaccine contains strands of messenger RNA. This genetic material may contain information about any viral or bacterial protein. RNA strands are “packed” into molecules that deliver RNA to cells, where the process of translation takes place, followed by the synthesis of proteins that activate the immune system of the host.
According to the developers, in addition to infectious diseases, this vaccine can be used to fight cancer. With the help of an RNA vaccine, the host’s immune system can be taught to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
“This achievement allows us to develop vaccines against new diseases in just seven days, opening up the ability to quickly respond to unexpected outbreaks of viral diseases, as well as modify or improve vaccines,” said Daniel Anderson, one of the project participants. Work on vaccines scientist and colleagues published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" on July 4.
Customized vaccines
Inactivated vaccines are commonly used to combat viral diseases. The composition of vaccines of this type include viral particles, which were originally grown in culture, and then killed by heat or formaldehyde. Vaccines for vaccines are grown in laboratories - thus reducing their activity and infectivity. In order for an organism to develop immunity to such a virus, it is necessary to administer rather large doses. To enhance the effect of the vaccine, it is sometimes necessary to add adjuvants (substances that enhance the immune response). Also, multiple rounds of vaccination are required. In addition, live vaccines with attenuated viruses are also used.
Whoever deals with RNA vaccines, they cause the production of foreign copies of proteins by the host organism in an amount sufficient to effectively combat the pathogen. The idea of ​​creating programmable vaccines based on messenger RNA is not new, it is about 30 years old. But all this time it was not possible to create a reliable RNA vaccine. The main reason is that scientists could not find a safe and effective way to deliver messenger RNA to the cells of the host.
Omar Khan, one of the authors of the paper, suggested packing the RNA vaccine into a nanoparticle created from a dendrimer . This is a macromolecule with a symmetric tree structure with regular branching structure. Dendrimers are able to form complexes with other molecules, and the stability of such complexes is controlled by the state of the environment. This opens up the possibility of using dendrimers in medicine as carriers for the targeted delivery of genes or drugs. The key advantage of the dendrimer is the ability to charge such molecules positively, which will allow you to interact with RNA with a negative charge. After the dendrimers and RNA are connected, the resulting complex is folded into a spherical structure with a diameter of 150 nanometers. This is similar to the size of many viruses, and RNA vaccine molecules pass into the cells of the body in much the same way as virus proteins.
By changing the sequence of RNA, scientists can create vaccines that initiate the production of virtually any protein in the cells of the host. RNA molecules also include instructions for amplifying RNA, so that cells produce even more proteins.
A vaccine of this type is introduced into the body through a normal injection. As soon as the dendrimer-RNA complex enters the cell, the translation process is performed and the cell begins to produce a protein that provokes an immune response. At the same time, the host’s immune system forms two types of responses: there is a simultaneous production of antibodies and T cells.
MIT scientists have already performed a series of tests with mice and obtained encouraging results: only one injection of RNA vaccine causes a strong immune response of the body. The body of mice gave a powerful immune response to the Ebola virus, the H1N1 flu, Toxoplasma gondii.
“Regardless of which antigen we chose, we received a complete immune response with the production of antibodies and T-cells,” says Khan.
Researchers believe that their vaccines are safer than DNA vaccines, another alternative to conventional vaccines. Unlike DNA, RNA cannot be incorporated into the host genome and cause mutations.
Fast vaccine production
Vaccine creators are confident that their product may be particularly useful for fighting the flu. The fact is that the production of conventional flu vaccines, when viruses are grown in chicken eggs, takes months. That is, the vaccine may be ready after the epidemic of a certain type of flu has passed. Here we are talking about a week.
According to experts who have familiarized themselves with the work of the creators of the RNA vaccine, this is a real revolution in the fight against infectious diseases. The fact is that such a vaccine can also be used to combat unknown diseases - it is enough to study the pathogen and change the RNA sequence.
Now the authors of the work founded the company and began the process of licensing the technology. In the near future they are going to begin commercial production of their vaccines. And not only against the already mentioned diseases, but also against Zika virus and Lyme disease.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/395703/
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