10183263Enhanced assays for low dose, high potency RNA-LNP medicinesActiveGrant for R&DInnovate UKSelf-amplifying RNA (saRNA) is a new class of therapeutic RNA which offers major sustainability benefits compared with conventional RNA, including higher potency and substantially reduced dose requirements. This supports greener manufacturing and lowers resource use across production, storage, and administration. However, these same properties mean that assays routinely applied to measure mRNA potency, transfection, and biological activity are not directly applicable to saRNA. Despite progress achieved via the Intracellular Drug Delivery Centre (IDDC), current assay platforms have proven insufficiently sensitive or poorly predictive for these next-generation RNA formats. This lack of suitable assays to measure important properties of saRNA creates a barrier that slows development, translation, and adoption of saRNA therapies and other similar technologies, limiting the ability of SMEs and academic innovators to fully realise their potential. Working together on this project, CPI and Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) will develop improved assays for saRNA (and generally applicable to highly potent RNA payloads) which will be made available to developers of nucleic acid vaccines and medicines to aid development and more rapidly advance these emerging therapeutic modalities and make them available to patients.