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4 Pharmaceutical Technology ® Innovations in mRNA eBook April 2024 PharmTech.com M uch of the current development of mes- senger RNA (mRNA) in the biopharma industry is focused on using mRNA-based therapeutics in the targeted treatment of cancers. Obstacles still persist, however, in the deliv- ery method of the therapeutic. One solution lies in the formulation stage, where, for instance, lipid nanopar- ticle (LNP) technology has become a common mode of delivery, owing to its success in the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. In an interview with Stefaan De Koker, vice-president, Technology and Innovation, etherna, Pharmaceutical Technology® explores the cri- teria that make mRNA a good choice as a therapeu- tic and looks at how LNP technology is becoming a well-established vehicle for delivering mRNA. mRNA's therapeutic foundation PharmTech: W hat ma kes m RNA a good basis for t her apeut ic s s uc h a s t he COV I D -19 v acc i nes or cancer therapy? De Koker (etherna): With mRNA, it really com- bines three big advantages compared to other drug modalities. First of all, it's an extremely f lexible plat- form: [one] can easily modulate the sequence of an mRNA, and, hence, can encode virtually any thera- peutic protein, whether it's in the cytosol of the cell, on the membrane, or even a secreted protein. [One] can easily adapt sequences, and that made [mRNA] well suited to the case of [something like] a pandemic, [such as] the COVID-19 pandemic we've seen. It also makes [mRNA] well suited to develop personalized immunity. For example, in the context of a cancer vaccine, [one would] want to adapt the vaccine to the antigen profile of a tumor, and mRNA allows [for] that very easily on a personalized basis. A second major advantage of mRNA is the ease of manufacturing. mRNA can be produced extremely fast, again, nicely exemplified by the COVID crisis where within a couple of months mRNA vaccines were i n c l i n ica l st ud ies. T hey were a l so clea rly The LNP success in mRNA vaccines leads to their establishment as a standard in mRNA delivery. Evaluating the Partnership between mRNA and LNPs Feliza Mirasol DR_MICROBE - STOCK.ADOBE.COM