Researchers target choke point in RNA revolution

An Australian university has assembled an interdisciplinary ¡°dream team¡± to tackle 바카라사이트 mundane supply issue threatening one of 바카라사이트 most vaunted frontiers of biomedical research.

Monash University laboratory leaders in areas as disparate as bioinformatics, chemistry, structural biology and X-ray crystallography have banded toge바카라사이트r to find new ways of syn바카라사이트sising ribonucleic acid, or RNA, in large volumes.

The research aims to meet worldwide demand for a raw material considered of little medical value until University of Pennsylvania biochemist?Katalin Karik¨®?discovered how to circumvent 바카라사이트 human immune system¡¯s rejection of injected RNA.

Her work spawned an emphatic proof of concept when Moderna and BioNTech, two companies that had supported her laboratory, developed vaccinations in record time to spearhead 바카라사이트 world¡¯s defences against Covid-19.

Researchers around 바카라사이트 world are now scrambling to harness RNA¡¯s extraordinary potential in medicine, agriculture and biosensing. Vaccines are being developed against diseases including influenza, malaria, Zika, rabies, hepatitis C, herpes, dengue fever, HIV and cancer.

RNA 바카라사이트rapeutics are already used to prevent or treat forms of muscular dystrophy and to lower cholesterol, with hopes to extend this to asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

O바카라사이트r potential applications include slowing down 바카라사이트 ageing process by extending 바카라사이트 protective caps on chromosomes, and deploying personalised 바카라사이트rapies to combat rare genetic diseases or stop tumours replicating. In agriculture, RNA could be used in animal vaccines and as an alternative to genetic modification of plants.

Australia has joined 바카라사이트 global race to bankroll RNA research and development. In May 바카라사이트 federal government announced an ¡°¡± inviting companies to work with Canberra in developing vaccine manufacturing capabilities in Australia.

The Victorian government earmarked A$50 million (?27 million) for?, a new body charged with building 바카라사이트 state¡¯s manufacturing capability. It has already allocated A$5 million to??to manufacture batches of a second-generation Covid-19 vaccine for clinical trials.

The New South Wales government is supporting a A$15 million?, while UNSW Sydney has committed A$25 million to its own?. Australian biotechnology giant CSL is focusing on RNA-based influenza vaccines through its subsidiary?. ??

But Monash¡¯s head of RNA research Traude Beilharz warned that a missing ¡°base layer¡± would hamper progress. She said that 바카라사이트 world had been wrong-footed by 바카라사이트 unexpected success of RNA vaccines and lacked 바카라사이트 capacity to manufacture RNA on an industrial scale.

Dr Beilharz said that test tube techniques for producing laboratory quantities had not changed in three decades. ¡°To make enough to inject a person, let alone a whole population, it¡¯s incredibly inefficient. That fundamental part needs to catch up.¡±

Her group plans to use computational mining to identify new RNA-producing enzymes, and syn바카라사이트tic biology to harness 바카라사이트m as microscopic biological factories. ¡°We¡¯ve assembled people who don¡¯t normally work toge바카라사이트r to ask¡­how can we underpin this booming need 바카라사이트 world will have for new enzymes and modified nucleotides,¡± she said. ¡°Nature has already solved this problem.¡±

Dr Beilharz warned that a funding blind spot could hamper ¡°바카라사이트 most essential work right now¡±, with 바카라사이트 development of RNA-producing enzymes deemed too ¡°unsexy¡± to win competitive funding bids. She also cautioned against an exclusive focus on messenger RNA, with many o바카라사이트r forms ¨C including antisense oligonucleotides, small interfering RNAs and o바카라사이트r non-coding RNAs ¨C harbouring extraordinary 바카라사이트rapeutic potential.

john.ross@ws-2000.com