Date: 2017-07-15
Type of
information: Publication of results in a medical journal
phase: preclinical
Announcement: publication of results in EMBO Molecular Medicine
Company: Curevac (Germany)
Product: RNAntibody® technology
Action
mechanism: mRNA. CureVac’s RNAntibody® technology is based on chemically unmodified mRNA, It can be applied in many disease indications including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases. RNAntibody® is a component of CureVac’s RNArt® portfolio of mRNA-based molecular therapeutics that give the body the information required to produce its own functional proteins.
Disease:
Therapeutic
area: Cancer - Oncology - Infectious diseases
Country:
Trial
details:
Latest
news:
- • On August 15, 2017, CureVac AG, a fully-integrated biotechnology company pioneering mRNA-based drugs, announced the publication of a study in the peer-reviewed journal EMBO Molecular Medicine, demonstrating the utility of CureVac’s RNAntibody® technology as a potent novel approach for passive immunization and a potentially ideal platform for applications where a combination of both passive and active immunization is advantageous or required (“mRNA mediates passive vaccination against infectious agents, toxins and tumors” by Thran et al).
The paper reported results of a multifaceted research program that was designed to explore whether CureVac’s RNAntibody® technology, is suitable for passive immunization. The results further build on the data included in CureVac’s granted RNAntibody® patent. Investigators from CureVac and Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine tested various antibodies using different designs to determine expression and characterization in vitro and in vivo in the fields of viral infections, toxin exposure and cancer immunotherapies.
- Results indicated that single injections of mRNA formulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) provided by Acuitas Therapeutics were sufficient to establish rapid, strong and long-lasting serum antibody titers in vivo, thereby enabling both prophylactic and therapeutic protection against lethal rabies infection or botulinum intoxication. Additionally, therapeutic mRNA-mediated antibody expression allowed mice to survive an otherwise lethal tumor challenge. Based on this evidence, the researchers concluded that the utility of formulated mRNA could present a novel armamentarium for the development of competitive passive immunization therapies. Charles B. Shoemaker, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health (IDGH) at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and a co-author of the paper, stated, “The study in EMBO Molecular Medicine is very promising and suggests that mRNA may offer an attractive alternative to passive immunization given that mRNA technology appears to enable the in vivo synthesis of antibodies displaying favorable pharmacokinetics in which substantial antibody titers are induced in blood as early as two hours after treatment of mice. Today, passive immunization by antibody injection currently fills only a small niche in preventing or treating infectious diseases and has significant drawbacks. Nevertheless, there is renewed interest in passive immunization due to the emergence of microbial resistance to antibiotics and this has created a demand for alternative therapies. mRNA seems likely to provide a viable new option for meeting this growing need.”
Is
general: Yes
