mRNA vaccines have no viral component and no risk of infection, they also have the advantage of short development cycles, no need for adjuvants and easy mass production to support global supply. The development and optimisation of cationic peptide-based mRNA vaccine delivery systems is currently of increasing interest to pharmaceutical companies. BOC Sciences offers fully validated cationic peptide mRNA delivery systems to assist customers in further research into the efficacy, safety and long-term stability of mRNA vaccines.
Cationic polypeptides are a class of peptide molecules that are cationic in nature, consisting of missing residues that give cationic peptides specific biological activity and function in living organisms. mRNA is a negatively charged biological macromolecule that cannot cross cell membranes composed of anionic lipids and is phagocytosed in vivo by cells of the innate immune system or degraded by nucleases. As the positively charged cationic polypeptide readily co-assembles with negatively charged mRNA by electrostatic interaction, it is a potential carrier for mRNA delivery.
Figure 1. Cationic polypeptides-based mRNA carrier.
Cationic polypeptide is a polycationic natural peptide that binds to mRNA to form complexes to maintain mRNA stability. Currently, cationic polypeptide has been used in many early studies for the delivery of mRNA vaccines. Here, three studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of cationic polypeptide-mRNA anti-tumour vaccines.
Vaccine Project | Trial phase | Target antigen | Cancer type | Immune response | Clinical response |
NCT01817738 | 1/2 | PSA, PSMA, PSCA, STEAP1, PAP, and MUC1 | Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer | Not reported | No significant differences in progression-free survival. |
NCT00923312 | 1/2 | MAGE-C1, MAGE-C2, NY-ESO-1, survivin, and 5T4 | Non-small-cell lung cancer (stages IIIb and IV) | T-cell responses against at least one tumor-associated antigen in 19 (63%) patients | No objective responses; progression-free survival and overall survival not improved |
NCT01915524 | 1 | MAGE-C1, MAGE-C2, NY-ESO-1, survivin, 5T4, and MUC-1 | Non-small-cell lung cancer (stage IV) | Detectable antigen-specific immunity in 21 (84%) patients | One (4%) patient had partial response in combination with chemotherapy treatment, and 12 (46%) patients had stable disease |
BOC Sciences scientists are dedicated to assisting clients in the development of mRNA vaccines by coupling target mRNA sequences to cationic polypeptide for efficient delivery. Of course, many more optional and customised cationic polypeptide-mRNAs are also available at BOC Sciences. You can contact us directly with any ideas you may have and let BOC Sciences support you.
Type of Cationic Polypeptides | Price |
Amphiphilic Cationic Peptides | Inquiry |
Cationic α-Helical Peptides | Inquiry |
Cationic Peptide-Modified Liposomes | Inquiry |
Poly-L-arginine | Inquiry |
Poly-L-lysine | Inquiry |
Polyethyleneimine | Inquiry |
Chitosan | Inquiry |
Cell-penetrating peptides | Inquiry |
Contact us to tell us more about your needs. The expertise of our scientists, engineers and support team are at your disposal!