A study funded and co-led by the NIH and published in Nature reports that an experimental mRNA-based platform has the potential to aid in developing vaccines against infectious disease, cancer, and autoimmune conditions.

The study involved comparing an experimental mRNA platform with the industry standard mRNA platform. One of the study’s authors said that the experimental platform, ac4C, “causes cells to produce more therapeutic proteins to fight disease than the industry standard mRNA platform,” m1Ψ.

With m1Ψ as a delivery system, ribosomes that travel along single strands of mRNA containing the modification may slow down and cause traffic jams, which creates less protein that triggers an immune response. So, the scientists inserted both modifications into cultured human dendritic cells and mouse liver cells to mimic how vaccines work.

The researchers found that ribosomes traveled nearly twice as fast on the ac4C-modified mRNA. The m1Ψ platform also caused premature termination or frameshifting, making less or compromised proteins. The ac4C platform resulted in smoother mRNA translation. This could help scientists investigate potential therapeutics that require smaller doses while creating more protein and a better immune response.