mRNA vaccines and therapeutics continue to reshape medicine, providing unique opportunities to prevent and treat a wide range of diseases. In order to unleash the full potential of mRNA, however, one must consider various factors.
Harnessing mRNA as a Readout to Develop Robust BioPotency Assays
December 12th 2024Transcriptional activity within a cell can be used to evaluate cell response to a ligand or promoter activity within a transgene or plasmid within a cell. Catalent has developed a relative potency bioassay using real-time quantitative reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) in a duplex format to assess relative transcription activity in cells treated with ligands or transgenic vectors. The assay utilizes two fluorescent dyes with minimally overlapping emission spectra that allow real-time monitoring of the gene expression of both target and normalizer genes. The assay does not require purification of the mRNA produced by the cells once lysis has occurred. Normalizing the qPCR cycle thresholds (CT) of the target transcript to the reference transcript allows response curve to be generated and compared to a reference standard. The generation of a four-parameter fit curve analysis from raw qPCR cycle threshold data allows for comparison of relative potency and assessment of suitability based on curve parallelism. The assay platform has been used by Catalent to qualify a repeatable, accurate, linear, and specific bioassay for assessing relative potency.
Exploring New and Improved Analytical Methods for Traditional and Unique Modalities
December 12th 2024Biophysical characterization is critical to understand the make-up and behaviors of biologic therapies and vaccines, both early in development and throughout the manufacturing scale-up process. As biologics become more complex in structure, and as scientists improve their understanding of the effects of structure on stability, efficacy, safety, etc., there is a need to develop new and improved analytical methods to characterize biologic products. During this presentation, experts will discuss the latest challenges in biophysical characterization and will present solutions to overcome these challenges.
Leveraging Novel Analytical Approaches For Advanced Therapies
December 12th 2024The characterization and analysis of advanced therapies, such as cell and gene therapies (CGTs) can be difficult, as these products are designed to function using complex mechanisms of action (MOA)s. There are a wide range of challenges associated with accurately assessing the potency and impurity profiles of these complex biologicals. As many CGT programs qualify for accelerated review pathways, novel approaches for analysis and characterization can help generate data that allows for real-time decision making and faster development timelines. Catalent has developed a relative potency bioassay using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to assess relative transcription activity in cells treated with ligands or transgenic vectors. The assay platform can be used to qualify a repeatable, accurate, linear, and specific bioassay for assessing relative potency for CGTs, mRNA- and other nucleic acid-based therapies.