Can messenger Ribonucleic acid treat?

Can messenger Ribonucleic acid treat?

Poster

Diana Mladenova, Dariya Nikolova, Antoan Rangelov
Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski ", Bulgaria

Tissue ischemia, caused by poor vascularization, is a premise for developing serious conditions (arterial coronary disease, heart failure, impaired wound healing ability) and a consequence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Around 25% of patients, suffering from T2DM, develop a foot ulcer, and another 2% undergo amputation, making T2DM the leading cause for non-traumatic amputations. Therapeutic angiogenesis aims to induce formation of new blood vessels in ischemic tissues and the vascular endothelium growth factor A (VEGF-A) shows great potential for therapeutic application. The chemically modified messenger RNA (mRNA) is a synthetic and biocompatible method for therapeutic expression of proteins. The first-time-in-human study of mRNA, encoding VEGF-A, aims to evaluate the safety and the potential therapeutic effects. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1 study, that includes 42 patients with T2DM, conducted in Berlin between December 2016 – January 2018 is reviewed. The patients were given intradermal injections in the forearm, containing either the modified mRNA or a placebo. Based on the study data the only causally treatment-related adverse events were mild injection-site reactions.The study results show an elevated number of VEGF-A on the site of application between the 4th and 24th hour for mRNA versus placebo. Furthermore, it was found that patients, injected with mRNA, had improved bloodflow on the site of injection on the 4th hour and 7th day. VEGF-AmRNA may have potential for theraupetic angiogenesis.
Key words: mRNA, ischemia, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), diabetes, angiogenesis