PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

An advance toward inhalable mRNA medications, vaccines

2024-11-13
(Press-News.org) Most people don’t enjoy getting shots for treatments or vaccines. So, researchers are working to create more medicines, such as those made from messenger RNA (mRNA), that can be sprayed and inhaled. A study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society reports steps toward making inhalable mRNA medicines a possibility. Researchers outline their improved lipid-polymer nanoparticle for holding mRNA that is stable when nebulized and successfully delivers aerosols (liquid droplets) in mice’s lungs.

mRNA medicines encode proteins that could treat or prevent a variety of illnesses, including lung diseases. However, these proteins are delicate and can’t enter cells by themselves. To get intact mRNA inside lung cells, tiny fatty spheres (known as lipid nanoparticles) can be used like suitcases to store and transport the components until they reach their final destination. However, early versions of fatty spheres for mRNA delivery won’t work for inhalable medications because the nanoparticles clump together or increase in size when sprayed into the air. To try to address this problem, previous researchers attached a polymer, such as polyethylene glycol, onto one of the particle’s fatty components, but this didn’t stabilize the resulting lipid nanoparticles enough.

Now, Daniel Anderson, Allen Jiang, Sushil Lathwal and colleagues have hypothesized that a different type of polymer, one with repeating units of positively and negatively charged components called a zwitterionic polymer, could create mRNA-containing lipid nanoparticles that can withstand nebulization (turning a liquid into a mist). The researchers synthesized a variety of lipid nanoparticles out of four ingredients: a phospholipid, cholesterol, an ionizable lipid, and lipids of different lengths attached to zwitterionic polymers of various lengths. Initial tests indicated that many of the resulting lipid nanoparticles efficiently held mRNA and didn’t change size during misting or after being misted.

Then in animal trials, the researchers determined that a lower-cholesterol version of the lipid nanoparticles with zwitterionic polymers was the optimal formulation for aerosol delivery. When transporting an mRNA encoding a luminescent protein, this nanoparticle produced the highest luminescence within the animals’ lungs and a uniform protein expression in the tissues, thereby demonstrating that it had the best ability to deliver inhaled mRNA. Mice given three airborne doses of the optimal nanoparticle over a 2-week period maintained consistent luminescent protein production without experiencing measurable inflammation in the lungs. The delivery method even worked in mice with a thick layer of mucus lining their airways, which was meant to model the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis. Taken together, the researchers say this set of results demonstrates the successful airborne delivery of mRNA using zwitterionic polymers in lipid nanoparticles. As a next step, they plan to conduct tests in larger animals.

The authors acknowledge funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Sanofi (formerly Translate Bio), the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, and the Koch Institute Support (core) Grant from the National Cancer Institute.

The authors have filed a patent on this technology. Some authors are founders of oRNA Therapeutics and Moderna, biotechnology companies that produce RNA and mRNA medicines, respectively.

The paper’s abstract will be available on Nov. 13 at 8 a.m. Eastern time here: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jacs.4c11347

###

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Registered journalists can subscribe to the ACS journalist news portal on EurekAlert! to access embargoed and public science press releases. For media inquiries, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Note: ACS does not conduct research but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.

Follow us: X, formerly Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A step toward safer X-rays with new detector technology

A step toward safer X-rays with new detector technology
2024-11-13
X-rays are a common component of diagnostic testing and industrial monitoring, used for everything from monitoring your teeth to scanning your suitcase at the airport. But the high-energy rays also produce ionizing radiation, which can be dangerous after prolonged or excessive exposures. Now, researchers publishing in ACS Central Science have taken a step toward safer X-rays by creating a highly sensitive and foldable detector that produces good quality images with smaller dosages of the rays. “This advancement reduces detection limits and paves the way for safer and more energy-efficient medical imaging and industrial monitoring,” says Omar F. Mohammed, ...

On the origin of life: How the first cell membranes came to exist

On the origin of life: How the first cell membranes came to exist
2024-11-13
Few questions have captivated humankind more than the origin of life on Earth. How did the first living cells come to exist? How did these early protocells develop the structural membranes necessary for cells to thrive and assemble into complex organisms? New research from the lab of University of California San Diego Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Neal Devaraj has uncovered a plausible explanation involving the reaction between two simple molecules. This work appears in Nature Chemistry. Life on Earth ...

New evidence-based information from NCCN offers tangible and moral support for people trying to quit smoking

New evidence-based information from NCCN offers tangible and moral support for people trying to quit smoking
2024-11-13
PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [November 13, 2024] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)—an alliance of leading cancer centers—today announced the publication of a new patient guideline designed to provide critical support and guidance for individuals with cancer who are seeking to quit smoking. Continued smoking elevates the risk of developing additional cancers, reduces the effectiveness of treatment, exacerbates treatment side effects, and is associated with shorter survival. The new NCCN Guidelines for Patients®: Quitting Smoking explains how to best use the tools that exist to help anyone quit ...

Solving complex problems faster: Innovations in Ising machine technology

Solving complex problems faster: Innovations in Ising machine technology
2024-11-13
Computers are essential for solving complex problems in fields, like scheduling, logistics, and route planning, but traditional computers struggle with large-scale combinatorial optimization, as they can’t efficiently process vast numbers of possibilities. To address this, researchers have explored specialized systems. One such system is the Hopfield network, a significant artificial intelligence breakthrough from 1982, proven in 1985 to solve combinatorial optimization by representing solutions as energy levels and naturally finding the lowest energy, or optimal, solution. ...

Grief-specific cognitive behavioral therapy vs present-centered therapy

2024-11-13
About The Study: This randomized clinical trial demonstrates that cognitive behavioral therapy for prolonged grief was superior to present-centered therapy after treatment and at follow-up with regard to comorbid symptoms. Both treatments were shown to be effective and acceptable, showing the potential for dissemination and increasing patient choice.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rita Rosner, PhD, email rita.rosner@ku.de. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

New species discovered with refined DNA technology

New species discovered with refined DNA technology
2024-11-13
Sometimes plants are so similar to each other that the methods developed by 18th century scientist Carl Linnaeus for identifying species are not enough. In a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, completely new species of daisies have been discovered when analysed using modern DNA technology. There are currently estimated to be around 8.7 million different species on Earth, of which around 2.2 million are found in the oceans. Many species can be identified in the classical way, by their physical characteristics, the morphology. For over a decade, botanists and zoologists have also been using DNA sequencing to more accurately identify species. ...

C-PATH announces Gender Equitable Medicines for Parkinson's Disease (GEM-PD) initiative

2024-11-13
INFORMATION EMBARGOED UNTIL WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13, 2024, 7 a.m. ET   C-Path Announces Gender Equitable Medicines for Parkinson's Disease (GEM-PD) Initiative C-Path expands its worldwide leadership in accelerating drug development in neurology; seeks additional collaborators to broaden impact. TUCSON, Ariz., November 13, 2024 — Critical Path Institute (C-Path) today announced a landmark initiative, Gender Equitable Medicines for Parkinson's Disease (GEM-PD), dedicated to globally ...

Faster flowing glaciers could help predict nearby volcanic activity

2024-11-13
Glaciers that are within three miles of a volcano move nearly 50% quicker than average, a new study has found, which could help create early warning of future eruptions.   In a new article published in Communications Earth & Environment today, researchers from the University of Aberdeen, University of Birmingham and Manchester Metropolitan University analysed velocity data from 85% of the world’s approximately 217,000 glaciers. After controlling for factors such as climate, ice thickness and surface slope, the team found that glaciers near active volcanoes typically flowed 46% faster than other glaciers.  Glaciers ...

MIT engineers make converting CO2 into useful products more practical

MIT engineers make converting CO2 into useful products more practical
2024-11-13
As the world struggles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, researchers are seeking practical, economical ways to capture carbon dioxide and convert it into useful products, such as transportation fuels, chemical feedstocks, or even building materials. But so far, such attempts have struggled to reach economic viability. New research by engineers at MIT could lead to rapid improvements in a variety of electrochemical systems that are under development to convert carbon dioxide into a valuable commodity. ...

Primary care professionals key to helping people achieve & maintain heart health

2024-11-13
Statement Highlights: A new scientific statement outlines the role of primary care professionals in helping their patients achieve Life’s Essential 8, the key measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health defined by the American Heart Association. The new statement highlights how primary care clinicians can help patients follow and maintain the Association’s Life’s Essential 8 health metrics for optimal cardiovascular health, which includes four health behaviors (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure and sleep) and four health ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Astronomers take the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy

Here’s something Americans agree on: Sports build character

Engineering nature’s blueprint: Dendron-based assemblies for chlorophyll’s materials

Study reveals how cell types shape human brain networks

New genetic explanation for heart condition revealed

Poor mental health linked to browsing negative content online

People with migraine at high risk of depression during pandemic

Climate-driven hazards increases risk for millions of coastal residents, study finds

Females sleep less, awaken more frequently than males

Most Americans want primary care providers to address mental health

Millions of Americans hurt by others’ drinking, drug use: study

Plasma-derived atomic hydrogen advances low-temperature CO2 methanation at high yield

Photon qubits challenge AI, enabling more accurate quantum computing without error-correction techniques

Single gene causes embryo notochord deformity in zebrafish

Sylvester Cancer Tip Sheet - Nov 2024

AI speaks volumes when it comes to detecting Parkinson’s disease

Signals of inflammation during pregnancy linked to aging and memory changes 50 years later

Two million ex-smokers currently vape in England

When trees 'talk:' Researchers probe ancient wood for clues about massive solar storms

High nurse and doctor turnover linked to increased patient deaths in NHS hospitals

History of endometriosis and fibroids linked to heightened risk of early death

High nurse and doctor turnover rates linked to increased patient deaths in NHS hospitals

Research highlights the pressures human activities place on tropical marine ecosystems

New research sets out how to make free internet access a human right

Argonne plays critical role in assessing small modular reactor applications to rebuild a clean economy in post-war Ukraine

In the ‘Wild West’ of AI chatbots, subtle biases related to race and caste often go unchecked

Visual experience in a Pompeian domestic space: analysis using virtual reality-based eye tracking and GIS

RCMAR Center Director calls on House to advance a global brain health agenda

NEJM study: For chronic subdural hematomas, blocking the artery supplying the brain covering reduced re-operations threefold

New treatment combination for subdural hematoma reduces risk of recurrence

[Press-News.org] An advance toward inhalable mRNA medications, vaccines