In January 2024 CEPI announced that it is “teaming up with leading scientists” at the Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI) to develop a “promising” kind of technology that it hopes could “pave the way for new ‘circular RNA’ vaccines”, which would be “more stable, durable, and cost-effective”. CEPI is contributing funding of up to $3.8 million to the Houston Methodist vaccinology team in support of its ‘circRNA’ platform. This offers “significant potential beyond mRNA vaccines”. The project will focus on designing and evaluating candidates against chikungunya, one of CEPI’s priority pathogens, aiming to generate preclinical proof of concept for the platform.
RNA benefits and limitations
Although mRNA vaccines are “expected to play a crucial role” in disease prevention and control, they are limited. For example, the potential provocation of local reactions or short-term fever in people who take them could be a barrier to uptake.
“Relative to other types of vaccine, they are currently expensive to manufacture and require costly and complex cold-chain storage and transportation infrastructure.”
Enter circular RNA. This uses closed-loop RNA, which might enable candidates to be more stable and durable than linear-based mRNA vaccines. It could also deliver “improved efficacy in smaller doses”. Although HMRI’s circRNA platform is “still in the early stages of development”, CEPI has identified potential for effectiveness in single-dose regimens, which reduces the amount of RNA required for each dose and lowers the cost of RNA-based vaccines. This would contribute to greater accessibility.
“Molecular junk” to vaccine hero
Dr In-Kyu-Yoon, Acting Director of Vaccine R&D at CEPI explains that circular RNA was previously considered “molecular junk”. However, research research has indicated that it could be “harnessed” for RNA-based medicines.
“If effective, these circRNA vaccines could progress this new scientific era of mRNA vaccinology even further, leveraging not only the speed at which the technology can be designed and tested in response to infectious disease outbreaks but also the potential to create more durable and accessible mRNA vaccines for greater global protection when faced with a deadly disease threat.”
Dr H. Dirk Sostman, President and CEO of the Houston Methodist Academic Institute, is “excited to be working with CEPI” in this effort to “protect the world against emerging viral threats”.
“Houston Methodist is leading medicine by generating fundamental scientific insights that have transformational effects on human health.”
If you’re interested in participating in discussions on the contributions that RNA can make to global health, why not join us in Washington for the RNA workshop this April? If you can’t make that, do subscribe for regular vaccine insights!
