Taiwanese scientists have discovered a new way to synthesize circular RNA (circRNA), which could be applied to vaccine development, the National Institute of Infectious Disease and Vaccinology told a news conference yesterday.
Linear RNA is inherently unstable so using it in mRNA vaccines requires that the vaccines be stored and deployed in specific conditions to avoid degradation and loss of effectiveness, institute scientists said.
CircRNA eliminates its linear counterpart’s instability without compromising the ease of modification and editing that make mRNA vaccines possible, said institute associate researcher Yu Chia-yi (余佳益), who headed the research.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
The potential of applying circRNA in vaccine development is limited by the mechanisms used to synthesize the substance, including bacteriophage and splicing-based processes, he said, adding that the current synthesis methods have significant drawbacks, such as inefficiency, low-purity products and unwanted RNA fragments.
The research team discovered a novel method that uses ligase ribozymes to trigger linear RNA into autonomously folding itself, enabling the efficient production of high-purity circRNA, he said.
The study also discovered that circRNAs with a singular internal ribosome entry site could cause the translation of interferon, a class of proteins secreted by the body to suppress viral reproduction, Yu said.
Additionally, the research team found that specifically guided RNA allowed circRNA expressing cas13 ribonuclease to effectively “snipe” the corresponding RNA virus, suggesting a new concept for viral treatments, he said.
The institute said the findings have implications for mRNA-based vaccine design and production.
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications in August last year.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS