BioCentury
ARTICLE | Distillery Therapeutics

Infectious disease

October 11, 2018 7:26 PM UTC

Cell culture and mouse studies identified an mRNA encoding a camelid-derived anti-RSV F protein antibody heavy chain that could help prevent RSV infection. The mRNA was modified to encode a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor attached to the Fc region of the heavy chain to enhance the antibody’s in vivo half-life. In an RSV-infected human alveolar basal epithelial cell line, transfection of the mRNA decreased RSV F protein copy number compared with no treatment. In a mouse model of RSV infection, pretreatment with the mRNA decreased RSV F protein copy number in lungs compared with no treatment, Synagis palivizumab linked to a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor and/or an unrelated control mRNA. Next steps could include testing the mRNA in additional animal models of RSV infection...