Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) announced Thursday that a research team at the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) has developed a novel circular RNA (circRNA) synthesis method that improves the purity and efficiency of the process.
Messenger RNA or mRNA vaccines such as those developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech for COVID-19 showed strong research and development potential during the pandemic. However, mRNA application is limited due to the inherent instability of linear RNA. According to molecular virologist and associate researcher at NHRI Yu Chia-Yi (余佳益), circRNA is not only more stable, but also comparably easy to modify.
Yu said his team’s new synthesis method, which uses a cis-acting ligase ribozyme to enable autonomous circularization of linear RNA, can significantly improve the safety and efficacy of RNA vaccines. These results have far-reaching implications not only for vaccine development, but also for gene therapy, cancer treatment, and antiviral strategies. Their work was published in the top-ranked academic journal Nature Communications in August 2024.