Researchers have succeeded in developing a method for transferring RNA in a capsule that can be swallowed, a development that will make it easier to take RNA vaccines.
[תרגום מאת ד”ר משה נחמני]
Like most types of vaccines, RNA vaccines should now be injected, a method that can be a stumbling block for people or children who are afraid of syringes. Development that will facilitate the taking of RNA vaccines. In addition, the method will facilitate the taking of RNA or other DNA healing substances directly into the gastrointestinal tract for the treatment of diseases related to this system, such as gastric ulcer.
Nucleic acids, especially RNA, can be very sensitive to excretion, especially in the digestive tract. Overcoming this challenge opens the door to many approaches designed to cure various diseases, including a potential oral vaccine, “said Giovanni Traverso, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MatterThe professor and his research team demonstrated that they are capable of using a capsule they have developed to deliver up to 150 micrograms of RNA – the greater amount currently used in messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against the corona virus.
For several years, the research team has been developing innovative methods for delivering drugs to the gastrointestinal tract. In 2019 the researchers were able to develop a capsule that after ingestion is capable of delivering solid drugs, such as insulin, into the stomach walls. The pill, the size of a cherry, has the shape of a stepped dome, similar to the shape of a turtle’s armor. Just as the tortoise is able to roll over on its back and return to its normal state, the capsule is able to direct itself so that its contents penetrate directly into the walls of the stomach. In 2021, the researchers demonstrated that they are able to use a capsule to transfer large molecules such as monoclonal antibodies in a liquid configuration. Next, the researchers decided to use the capsule to transfer nucleic acids, which are also large molecules. Nucleic acids are sensitive to be released when they are introduced into the body, so it is necessary to protect them with protective particles. In this study, the researchers used a new type of polymer nanoparticle that the team recently developed. These particles, which are capable of transporting RNA with high efficiency, are composed of a type of polymer called poly (beta-amino esters). Because using two types of polymers together is more efficient than using a single type. “We prepared a collection of branched polymers and found the most effective polymer,” explains the lead researcher.
In order to test the efficacy and activity of nanoparticles, in the first stage the researchers injected them into the stomachs of mice, without using the new capsule. The RNA they inserted encoded a protein that could be identified in the tissue if the cells were able to assimilate the RNA. The researchers found that the reported protein reached the stomach as well as the liver of the mouse, indicating that the RNA reached other organs of the body and then the liver, the organ whose function is to filter the blood. The innovative transfer capsule developed. In this method, the researchers were able to insert 50 micrograms of messenger RNA into the capsule, and transfer three such capsules into the stomach of pigs, so that the total amount was 150 micrograms. In experiments on pigs, the researchers found that the protein was assimilated only in the stomach cells, but not in other organs in the body.
In their designs, the researchers hope to increase the amount of RNA inserted into the organs by changing the composition of the nanoparticles or by delivering larger doses. However, the researcher explains: Provides an immune response. “The researchers now plan to investigate whether a systemic immune response can be generated, including the activation of B and T cells, by transferring messenger RNA vaccines using the innovative capsule. This approach can also be used for the development of diseases aimed at diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, which are currently difficult to treat as part of a subcutaneous injection. “When you perform systemic drug delivery through veins, it’s not easy to direct the drug into the stomach,” the lead researcher explains. “We believe that our method could be a potential method for treating a variety of diseases related to the digestive system.”
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