mRNA
Pharmaceuticals
From anti-viral (vaccine)
To cancer (therapeutics)
Messenger RNA, or mRNA, was discovered in the early 1960s; research into how mRNA could be delivered into cells was developed in the 1970s.
However, the first mRNA vaccine has been brought to market due to the global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.
mRNA technology is now being used as an effective vaccine technology against various viruses such as flu and HIV as well as COVID-19. In addition, it will bring a paradigm shift in various fields of preventive and therapeutic agents to treat incurable diseases such as cancer.
Therefore, having mRNA platform technology has become one of the fate of biotechnology companies, and only those with comparative advantage will be able to survive in this field.
iNtRON’s mRNA Technology
High Efficient Mucosal Vaccine Platform
Most of the mRNA vaccines that have recently been commercialized or are undergoing clinical trials use administration methods of intramuscular (IM) injection and have a mechanism of inducing vaccine responses related to IgM and IgG.
iNtRON, on the other hand, has developed a highly efficient mucosal vaccine platform that can be administered through nose or mouth rather than painful IM injection, and is currently undergoing research for industrialization of this platform technology.
Mucosal vaccines can provide superior vaccine effects than existing vaccines because it can provide not only systemic immunity by IgM and IgG, but also mucosal immunity by IgA. Furthermore, IgA mucosal immunity can maximize the vaccine effectiveness by providing an initial immune defense on the upper respiratory tract, which is the forefront of the infection.
Targeted Delivery
To maximize vaccine-induced immune response, iNtRON is also developing a technology for targeted delivery to antigen presenting cells (APCs).
This technology can induce a stronger immune response by maximizing mRNA delivery to an actual target cell.
iNtRON’s Proprietary Technology
iNtRON has developed differentiated mRNA mucosal vaccine platform and one of its representative technologies is “mucosal mRNA vaccine technology that mucosa-permeability is enhanced”, which was recently applied for a patent.
In this technology, mucosal mRNA vaccine is applied with a nano-carrier, which surface is modified with a peptide that can enhance mucosa-penetration. The schematic concept of technology is presented in the figure below.
iNtRON’s novel bacteriophage technology was grafted while developing mRNA mucosal vaccine to enhance the mucosa-penetration of vaccine nanoparticles loaded with mRNA, resulting in a rapid and strong vaccine effect.
