Development of a Ready-to-Use-Type RNA Vaccine Carrier Based on an Intracellular Environment-Responsive Lipid-like Material with Immune-Activating Vitamin E Scaffolds
Jessica Anindita,
Hiroki Tanaka,
Ryotaro Oyama,
Shinya Hagiwara,
Daiki Shirane,
Sakura Taneichi,
Yuta Nakai,
Kota Tange,
Hiroto Hatakeyama,
Yu Sakurai,
Hidetaka Akita
Affiliations
Jessica Anindita
Laboratory of DDS Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-0856, Japan
Hiroki Tanaka
Laboratory of DDS Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
Ryotaro Oyama
Laboratory of DDS Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-0856, Japan
Shinya Hagiwara
Laboratory of DDS Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-0856, Japan
Daiki Shirane
Laboratory of DDS Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-0856, Japan
Sakura Taneichi
Life Science Research Laboratory, NOF CORPORATION, 3-3 Chidori-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0865, Japan
Yuta Nakai
Life Science Research Laboratory, NOF CORPORATION, 3-3 Chidori-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0865, Japan
Kota Tange
Life Science Research Laboratory, NOF CORPORATION, 3-3 Chidori-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0865, Japan
Hiroto Hatakeyama
Laboratory of DDS Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-0856, Japan
Yu Sakurai
Laboratory of DDS Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
Hidetaka Akita
Laboratory of DDS Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
Because of its efficient and robust gene transfer capability, messenger RNA (mRNA) has become a promising tool in various research fields. The lipid nanoparticle (LNP) is considered to be a fundamental technology for an mRNA delivery system and has been used extensively for the development of RNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. We recently developed ssPalm, an environmentally responsive lipid-like material, as a component of LNP for mRNA delivery. In this study, a self-degradable unit (phenyl ester) that confers high transfection activity and an immune stimulating unit (vitamin E scaffold) for high immune activation were combined to design a material, namely, ssPalmE-Phe-P4C2, for vaccine use. To design a simple and user-friendly form of an RNA vaccine based on this material, a freeze-drying-based preparation method for producing a ready-to-use-type LNP (LNP(RtoU)) was used to prepare the LNPssPalmE-Phe. The optimization of the preparation method and the lipid composition of the LNPssPalmE-Phe(RtoU) revealed that dioleoyl-sn-glycero phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) was a suitable helper lipid for achieving a high vaccination activity of the LNPssPalmE-Phe(RtoU). Other findings indicated that to maintain particle properties and vaccination activity, a 40% cholesterol content was necessary. A single administration of the LNPssPalmE-Phe(RtoU) that contained mRNA-encoding Ovalbumin (mOVA-LNPssPalmE-Phe(RtoU)) demonstrated a significant suppression of tumor progression in a tumor-bearing mouse OVA-expressing cell line (E.G7-OVA). In summary, the LNPssPalmE-Phe(RtoU) is an easy-to-handle drug delivery system (DDS) for delivering mRNA antigens in immunotherapy.