MOSCOW, May 16. SPbPU biochemists have proposed a new development to create various vaccines against a wide range of diseases. Scientists have developed a universal container for delivering the messenger RNA of the pathogen to human cells to trigger the production of antibodies. The results of the study are published in Pharmaceutics.
Scientists from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) said that the best way to protect against an infectious disease is a mild contact of the body with an inactive virus or its components during the vaccination process. This method has been known since the 18th century, and its effectiveness was once again confirmed in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.
Experts noted that classical vaccines do not contain the viruses themselves, but their fragments — unique sections of proteins. When they are introduced into the human body, the production of antibodies begins, neutralizing the action of the pathogen.
In modern vaccinology, another direction is also developing — the creation of vaccines based on the genetic material of pathogens of infectious diseases, the researchers emphasized. To select the correct nucleic acid sequence, biochemists examine the proteins of pathogens and determine from which messenger RNA (mRNA) they were synthesized.
With the introduction of the drug based on mRNA in the human body, there is no contact with the causative agent of the disease. Scientists consider them safer, so such vaccines are more promising than traditional ones. RNA-based vaccines are cheaper and faster to produce than those based on inactivated virus. The protection that is developed in the patient is more reliable, experts say. The genetic material itself is not dangerous, since it decomposes rather quickly in the body.
However, when creating such vaccines, developers face difficult challenges. In addition to identifying the desired RNA sequence and its production, it is necessary to create a «container» that will deliver it to its destination intact and facilitate the process of penetration through the cell membrane, the scientists noted. and reduce the amount of injected material. The antigen is produced inside cells in large quantities and with the correct structure, which is critical for the formation of an immune response,» said Yana Zabrodskaya, Associate Professor of the Higher School of Biomedical Systems and Technologies of the Institute of Biomedical Systems and Biotechnologies of SPbPU.
She added that liposomes are one of the most effective systems for introducing various molecules into the body today. These are balls, the shell of which consists of lipids (fats), and the inner cavity is filled with water. The structure of lipids is very similar to the cell membrane, which makes it easier for the cell to «absorb» such a particle, regardless of the content.
Scientists from SPbPU as part of an international research team have proposed an original composition of liposomes, into which it is possible to place mRNAs of various sizes and parameters.
«Liposomes protect RNA from enzymes that can destroy it, and successfully deliver genetic material to cells. After the mRNA is inside the cell, the protein of interest to us is synthesized on its basis. We have selected the optimal composition of lipids for the most efficient delivery of the nucleic acid fragment into eukaryotic cells,» said Yana Zabrodskaya.
She added that the effectiveness of the production of the antigen protein in living cells was experimentally tested on human cell cultures. The researchers were able to estimate the proportion of cells in which the protein was actually produced. The indicators turned out to be comparable with commercially available foreign drug delivery systems. The developers noted that the original cationic lipid obtained from domestic constituents by chemists of the Russian Technological University (MIREA) is used to construct liposomes.
The results of this study form the basis for the development of universal carriers of any RNA, the scientists noted. On their basis, drugs can be created for the treatment and prevention of various diseases. The study of the effectiveness of the developed mRNA delivery system for preventive and therapeutic purposes will be continued using laboratory animals.
The study was carried out as part of the Priority 2030 university support program.