Liquid-crystalline phase nanodispersions as an mRNA carrier system for intranasal administration of gene vaccine

• Grant number: 22/10086-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: November 01, 2022
• End date: May 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Vitória Lopes Badra Bentley
• Grantee: Bryan Wender Debiasi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50928-2 - INCT 2014: Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology: a transdisciplinary approach, AP.TEM

Abstract

Vaccines containing messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) have drawn attention after approval and use during the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, as they have an excellent safety profile and a safer, faster and cheaper production when compared to other vaccines. to traditional vaccines, highlighting the potential of these vaccines in the development of immunization strategies. This type of vaccine can be adapted for intranasal application, which has promising characteristics in view of its properties, ranging from ease of administration, rapid onset of the therapeutic effect, reduction of discomfort caused by commonly used vaccination methods, as well as such as the fact that the respiratory mucosa is one of the entry points for several pathogens. For this to become effective, the mRNA (antigen) can be incorporated into lipid-based particulate systems, helping against the degradation and/or elimination of the mucosal antigen and increasing the residence time in the body, which results in an improvement on the immunogenicity of the vaccine formulation. Liquid-crystalline phase nanodispersions are potentially promising in the release of drugs and nucleic acids in the skin and mucous membranes, and in this context, liquid-crystalline nanoparticles (LCNs) complexed with mRNA for ovalbumin antigen (OVA) model will be produced, which will be evaluated given its physicochemical characteristics, cellular (in vitro) and immunogenicity (in vivo) studies, as a proof of concept for this vaccination strategy. The present project will result in pharmacotechnical and therapeutic feasibility studies in the development of vaccine formulations with multifunctional liquid crystals for the prophylaxis of infectious diseases.