NRC Postdoctoral Fellow National Institute of Standards and Technology Rockville, Maryland, United States
The successes of mRNA-based vaccines developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the potential of the technology in the future. However, questions remain regarding how structural morphologies of an mRNA relates to quality attributes, such as translation efficiency. New analytical methods are needed to generate a more robust understanding of the structural profiles of these mRNA constructs. To begin addressing these issues, we propose the use of of the chemical probing technique, SHAPE-MaP, as a way to structurally 'fingerprint' mRNA constructs. When used directly in comparative mode, this method has the ability to highlight structural variations which can be applied to the development of metrics for quality assessment and rational drug design, ensuring the safety and efficacy of mRNA vaccine products.
Learning Objectives:
Identify the need for development of new analytical methods to characterize mRNA vaccines
Establish that nucleoside modifications can affect structures within mRNA constructs
Recognize the feasibility of applying SHAPE-MaP metrology as a structural 'fingerprinting' tool
