Cited by 1,771Immunotherapy and Immune ResponsesRNA Interference and Gene DeliveryNanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery

Systemic RNA delivery to dendritic cells exploits antiviral defence for cancer immunotherapy

Kranz, Lena M., Diken, Mustafa, Haas, Heinrich, Kreiter, Sebastian, Loquai, Carmen, Reuter, Kerstin C., Meng, Martin, Fritz, Daniel +20 more·2016·Nature

Abstract

Lymphoid organs, in which antigen presenting cells (APCs) are in close proximity to T cells, are the ideal microenvironment for efficient priming and amplification of T-cell responses. However, the systemic delivery of vaccine antigens into dendritic cells (DCs) is hampered by various technical challenges. Here we show that DCs can be targeted precisely and effectively in vivo using intravenously administered RNA-lipoplexes (RNA-LPX) based on well-known lipid carriers by optimally adjusting net charge, without the need for functionalization of particles with molecular ligands. The LPX protects RNA from extracellular ribonucleases and mediates its efficient uptake and expression of the encoded antigen by DC populations and macrophages in various lymphoid compartments. RNA-LPX triggers interferon-α (IFNα) release by plasmacytoid DCs and macrophages. Consequently, DC maturation in situ and inflammatory immune mechanisms reminiscent of those in the early systemic phase of viral infection are activated. We show that RNA-LPX encoding viral or mutant neo-antigens or endogenous self-antigens induce strong effector and memory T-cell responses, and mediate potent IFNα-dependent rejection of progressive tumours. A phase I dose-escalation trial testing RNA-LPX that encode shared tumour antigens is ongoing. In the first three melanoma patients treated at a low-dose level, IFNα and strong antigen-specific T-cell responses were induced, supporting the identified mode of action and potency. As any polypeptide-based antigen can be encoded as RNA, RNA-LPX represent a universally applicable vaccine class for systemic DC targeting and synchronized induction of both highly potent adaptive as well as type-I-IFN-mediated innate immune mechanisms for cancer immunotherapy.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nature18300

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52 of 52 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The vaccination schedule used prevents the typical post-expansion T-cell retraction phase and maintains high frequencies of antigen-specific T cells.

    “The schedule was designed to prevent the typical post-expansion T-cell retraction phase and maintain high frequencies of antigen-specific T cells.”
  • Their OVA mRNA construct encoded for the H-2Kb-restricted immunodominant epitope OVA 257-264 and the lipid formulation contained DOTAP and DOPE with the mean diameter of mRNA-LNP was 200 nm.

    “Their OVA mRNA construct encoded for the H-2Kb-restricted immunodominant epitope OVA 257-264 and the lipid formulation contained DOTAP and DOPE with the mean diameter of mRNA-LNP was 200 nm (30).”
  • In the previous study by Kranz et al., a systemic immunization with three doses (40 μg/dose) of mRNA encoding OVA cleared B16-OVA lung metastasis with no tumor at 20 days after the last immunization.

    “In the previous study by Kranz et al., a systemic immunization with three doses (40 µg/dose) of mRNA encoding OVA cleared B16-OVA lung metastasis with no tumor at 20 days after the last immunization.”
  • It has been demonstrated that mRNA active vaccination can use both the intramuscular as well as the intravenous route (Petsch et al, 2012; Kranz et al, 2016).

    “It has been demonstrated that mRNA active vaccination can use both the intramuscular as well as the intravenous route (Petsch et al, 2012; Kranz et al, 2016).”

    From mRNA mediates passive vaccination against infectious agents, toxins, and tumors (2017) · cites this paper as Kranz et al, 2016

  • Several research groups underlined that the type I interferon response can act as a driving force for mRNA vaccines to elicit cytotoxic T cell responses.

    “several research groups underlined that the type I IFN response can act as a driving force for mRNA vaccines to elicit cytotoxic T cell responses [1,60,61]”

    From The dawn of mRNA vaccines: the COVID-19 case (2021) · cites this paper as [60]

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  1. Duzgunes, N. in Methods in Enzymology (Academic Press Inc, 2009).

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Authors
Kranz, L. M., Diken, M., Haas, H., Kreiter, S., Loquai, C., Reuter, K. C., Meng, M., Fritz, D., Vascotto, F., Hefesha, H., Grunwitz, C., Vormehr, M., Hüsemann, Y., Selmi, A., Kuhn, A. N., Buck, J., Derhovanessian, E., Rae, R., Attig, S., Diekmann, J., Jabulowsky, R. A., Heesch, S., Hassel, J., Langguth, P., Grabbe, S., Huber, C., Türeci, Ö., & Sahin, U.
Affiliations
  • Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
  • BioNTech (Germany) (DE)
  • University Hospital Heidelberg (DE)
Venue
Nature
Published
2016-06
Volume
534
Issue
7607
Pages
396-401
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2412158473
Cited by
1,771
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 139 · 2025: 209 · 2024: 210 · 2023: 210 · 2022: 213 · 2021: 209 · 2020: 172 · 2019: 129 · 2018: 122 · 2017: 125 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 2
FWCI
67.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
  • Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery
Keywords
dendritic cell targeting, interferon-alpha, cancer immunotherapy, melanoma, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, macrophages, type I interferon, antigen-specific T cell responses, neoantigens, autoantigens, tumor rejection
MeSH terms
Animals, Antigens, Neoplasm, Antigens, Viral, Autoantigens, Dendritic Cells, Disease Models, Animal, Drug Carriers, Female, Humans, Immunotherapy, Interferon Type I, Lymphocyte Activation, Lymphoid Tissue, Macrophages, Male, Melanoma, Membrane Glycoproteins, Mice, Inbred C57BL, RNA, T-Lymphocytes, Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic, Antigen Presentation, Cancer Vaccines, Toll-Like Receptor 7, Mice, Nanoparticles, Static Electricity, Administration, Intravenous

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