US agency selects UQ for ‘one of the world’s most ambitious biomanufacturing programs'
RNA medicines are designed for individual patients and can include personalised cancer vaccines and treatments for rare genetic diseases.
(Photo credit: The University of Queensland )
Key points
- Researchers at UQ's BASE mRNA Facility are helping the US government embed the production of personalised genetic therapies inside hospitals
- In a deal worth potentially $57m, BASE researchers are leading the development of the technology that analyses the accuracy and safety of each RNA medicine before it reaches a patient
- If successful the project will ultimately allow US hospitals to produce personalised RNA medicines on demand, so patients can receive treatment within a week of diagnosis
A United States Government agency has selected University of Queensland researchers to develop technology for personalised RNA medicines to be produced in hospitals, allowing lifesaving treatments to reach patients within days.
UQ’s BASE mRNA Facility is part of a consortium of companies, universities and research institutes with potential to receive up to $57 million ($US40 million) funding under the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an operational division within the US Department of Health and Human Services.
The program’s aim is to build a nationwide network of US hospitals where personalised RNA medicines can be produced on demand, so patients can receive treatment within a week of diagnosis.
BASE Facility director Professor Timothy Mercer (front) says his team have been selected to take charge of RNA quality control for the US-backed project.
(Photo credit: The University of Queensland)
BASE facility director Professor Tim Mercer said RNA medicines could be designed for individual patients, from personalised cancer vaccines to treatments for rare genetic diseases.
“The same mRNA technology used in the COVID-19 vaccines is now increasingly being applied to cancer and other diseases,” Professor Mercer said.
“Today these medicines are made in a handful of large, specialised factories, and it can take months for a patient to receive their treatment.
“This program is about bringing production to the patient’s bedside, delivering RNA medicines within days of diagnosis, instead of months.”
BASE, a part of UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, will be leading the consortium’s development of technology that analyses the accuracy and safety of each RNA medicine before it reaches a patient, a critical process known as quality control.
“This is Australian-designed technology at the centre of one of the most ambitious biomanufacturing programs in the world,” Professor Mercer said.
“Our aim is to speed up how quickly these medicines can be produced and checked, so more patients can access them, wherever they are.
“We are building an automated system that can test each medicine and confirm it is ready for a patient within days.”
Professor Mercer says bringing RNA production inside hospitals could deliver medicines to patients within days of diagnosis, instead of months.
(Photo credit: The University of Queensland)
At the heart of the system is nanopore sequencing, a technique that reads individual RNA molecules to help verify the quality, integrity, and safety of the final product.
“It’s an approach we have developed and proven at BASE, and it means one test can do what used to require many different tests,” he said.
Professor Mercer said a system prototype will initially be designed and built at BASE’s laboratories where it will be able support the development of personalised mRNA medicines here in Australia.
Once working, the system will then be assembled at Houston Methodist Research Institute in Texas, one of the largest health networks in the US, and installed to test RNA medicines.
“Being selected by the US Government to lead this work is a recognition of the expertise we’ve built at BASE, and of Australia’s growing capability in mRNA,” Professor Mercer said.
Collaboration and acknowledgements
This project is funded under the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)’s Genetic Medicines and Individualized Manufacturing for Everyone (GIVE) program.
BASE is a leading Australian national mRNA facility. Supported by Therapeutic Innovation Australia through NCRIS and with lab space at both UQ and the Translational Research Institute in Brisbane, BASE has produced thousands of custom mRNAs for researchers across Australia, helping them develop new mRNA vaccines and medicines to treat disease.
HDT Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Seattle, Washington, with a mission to develop innovative immunotherapies and preventive technologies for cancer, infectious diseases, and global health security.
The company's proprietary LION™ delivery platform enables the development of scalable, deployable vaccines and immunotherapies suited for both public health and biodefense applications.
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