AMM brings the best minds together to overcome the most critical obstacles inhibiting the advancement of mRNA research, development and manufacturing. Furthermore, AMM forges inclusive and collaborative partnerships with other networking forums to co-publish, augment or improve upon technical and scientific content generated by these groups.
AMM’s members are deeply involved in mRNA research, as academic institutions and private sector R&D organizations. The organization supports policies and funding opportunities that advance such research, like the recently announced Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (APRA-H) CUREIT project that aims to train the immune system to better fight cancer and other diseases with the goal of developing generalizable mRNA platforms to treat diverse diseases and save lives and the FDA-funded center for research on continuous mRNA manufacturing.
To fully realize the benefits of mRNA technology across its many potential applications, the field needs further alignment on manufacturing standards. Support for, and recognition of, standards will provide significant benefits, including fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing, enabling innovation and development of new products, advancing regulators’ comprehensive review of new products, and decreasing unnecessary and wasteful costs to patients.
AMM will play an industry-wide role in ensuring mRNA products can overcome current barriers to commercialization. Our members span the full range of the R&D lifecycle and collectively are poised to address these issues.
AMM is hosting a year-long webinar series exploring the scientific issues related to mRNA product manufacturing from beginning to end. Register to join us live, or view the recordings of previous webinars below.
The webinar focused on the comprehensive characterization of mRNA medications, emphasizing the importance of analyzing components like the cap structure, UTRs, and poly(A) tails, which influence translation efficiency and immune response. Researchers presented analytical techniques such as LC-MS for evaluating capping efficiency and sequence integrity, along with specialized methods for studying circular RNA (circRNA) structure and degradation.
The webinar featured expert insights on self-amplifying RNA, circular mRNA, and continuous manufacturing. The discussion covered various technical challenges in mRNA manufacturing, including production methods, purification techniques, and continuous manufacturing approaches, while also addressing regulatory considerations and potential cost reductions.
In this webinar, leading experts delve into the transformative field of RNA modification, discussing its biological roles, advanced methods of characterization, and emerging therapeutic applications. The conversation highlights how RNA modifications are shaping the future of mRNA-based medicines, vaccines, and therapies, focusing on how novel modifications could significantly enhance clinical outcomes. The webinar concludes with a forward-looking discussion on integrating sequencing and LC-MS fingerprinting technologies and the critical role of RNA methylation in post-transcriptional gene regulation.
The webinar explored the critical role of raw materials in in vitro transcription (IVT) reactions and their impact on mRNA product quality. Panelists discussed challenges in raw material production, the need for harmonized testing standards, and the potential for industry guidance through organizations like USP. The session also covered the use of IVT kits in development, the adoption of new technologies, and the need for improved polymerases to reduce impurities and costs.
The webinar on mRNA design strategies covered key considerations in mRNA engineering and therapeutics. Topics included the roles of untranslated regions, cap and tail structures, and codon optimization in enhancing protein expression. Emphasis was placed on the value of collaboration and transparency to drive progress in RNA therapeutics.
Note: In the ‘Strategies for designing mRNA: Importance of the cap and tail’ presentation, for the M6-3’OMe data, the second panel shows different capping efficiencies when using optimized transcription conditions versus traditional transcription conditions, not AG versus M6 cap as described.
In addition, the final two panels show that M6-3’OMe capped mRNAs are resistant to decapping by Dcp2 enzyme.
