Removal of dsRNA byproducts using affinity chromatography

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules are immunogenic byproducts of in vitro transcription of single-stranded RNA (ssRNA). Removal of dsRNA from ssRNA is difficult because the byproducts have similar sizes, sequences, and charges to the desired ssRNA. Here, we describe a dsRNA-specific affinity resi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nathaniel E. Clark, Mateusz Kozarski, Sinem Demirel Asci, Jurgen Van den Heuvel, Matt R. Schraut, Roger A. Winters, Kelley Kearns, Thomas C. Scanlon, Senne Dillen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Molecular Therapy: Nucleic Acids
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2162253125001039
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Summary:Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules are immunogenic byproducts of in vitro transcription of single-stranded RNA (ssRNA). Removal of dsRNA from ssRNA is difficult because the byproducts have similar sizes, sequences, and charges to the desired ssRNA. Here, we describe a dsRNA-specific affinity resin that selectively removes dsRNA from ssRNA. Affinity purification reduced dsRNA levels by >100-fold, to as low as ∼0.00007% w/w of total mRNA, with no negative impact on RNA integrity. The purified RNA, synthesized with standard nucleotides, induced no inflammatory response in a reporter cell line assay designed to measure innate immune responses. Purified RNA induced greater protein expression and healthier cells. The immunogenicity of the affinity-purified RNA with standard nucleotides compares favorably to RNA synthesized with modified nucleotides and purified with cellulose or reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). dsRNA affinity purification provides a facile and scalable solution to the problem of immunogenic dsRNA byproducts in transcribed RNA. This approach will improve quality and safety of RNA vaccines and therapeutics.
ISSN:2162-2531