Main description:

This volume provides an overview of the field and practical hints for vaccinologists in academia and industry. Chapters provide protocols on self-replicating RNA vectors, non-replication mRNA vectors, adjuvantation and delivery, and preclinical and clinical development. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Authoritative and cutting-edge, RNA Vaccines: Methods and Protocols aims to increased collaboration on RNA vaccines between basic and applied scientists in academia, government, and industry to develop future solutions for today's challenges.

Contents:

1. Introduction to RNA Vaccines

Thomas Kramps and Knut Elbers

Part I: Self-replicating RNA Vectors

2. Self-replicating RNA

Birke A. Tews and Gregor Meyers

3. Self-replicating RNA Vaccine Delivery to Dendritic Cells

Thomas Demoulins, Pavlos C. Englezou, Panagiota Milona, Nicolas Ruggli, Nicola Tirelli, Chantal Pichon, Cedric Sapet, Thomas Ebensen, Carlos A. Guzman, and Kenneth C. McCullough

4. Plant Expression of Trans-encapsidated Viral Nanoparticle Vaccines with Animal RNA Replicons

Yiyang Zhou, Alison A. McCormick, and Christopher M. Kearney

Part II: Non-replicating mRNA Vectors

5. RNActive (R) Technology: Generation and Testing of Stable and Immunogenic mRNA Vaccines

Susanne Rauch, Johannes Lutz, Aleksandra Kowalczyk, Thomas Schlake, and Regina Heidenreich

6. Nucleoside Modified mRNA Vaccines for Infectious Diseases

Norbert Pardi and Drew Weissman

7. Generation and Evaluation of Prophylactic mRNA Vaccines against Allergy

Richard Weiss, Sandra Scheiblhofer, and Josef Thalhamer

Part III: Adjuvantation and Delivery

8. Measuring the Adjuvant Activity of RNA Vaccines

Norbert Pardi and Drew Weissman

9. Generation of Immunostimulating 130 nm Protamine-RNA Nanoparticles

Marina Tusup and Steve Pascolo

10. Electroporation of mRNA as Universal Technology Platform to Transfect a Variety of Primary Cells with Antigens and Functional Proteins

Kerstin F. Gerer, Stefanie Hoyer, Jan Doerrie, and Niels Schaft

11. Adjuvant-Enhanced mRNA Vaccines

Lukasz Bialkowski, Kevin Van der Jeught, Dries Renmans, Alexia van Weijnen, Carlo Heirman, Marleen Keyaerts, Karine Breckpot, and Kris Thielemans

12. Enhanced Delivery of DNA or RNA Vaccines by Electroporation

Kate E. Broderick and Laurent M. Humeau

Part IV: Preclinical and Clinical Development

13. The European Regulatory Environment of RNA-Based Vaccines

Thomas Hinz, Kajo Kallen, Cedrik M. Britten, Bruno Flamion, Ulrich Granzer, Axel Hoos, Christoph Huber, Samir Khleif, Sebastian Kreiter, Hans-Georg Rammensee, Ugur Sahin, Harpreet Singh-Jasuja, OEzlem Tureci, and Ulrich Kalinke

14. Discovery and Subtyping of Neo-Epitope Specific T-cell Responses for Cancer Immunotherapy: Addressing the Mutanome

Mustafa Diken, Mathias Vormehr, Christian Grunwitz, Sebastian Kreiter, OEzlem Tureci, and Ugur Sahin

15. Considerations for Producing mRNA Vaccines for Clinical Trials

Andreas Schmid

16. Nonclinical Safety Testing of RNA Vaccines

Gundel Hager

17. Immunotherapy of Uveal Melanoma: Vaccination Against Cancer

Mirko Kummer and Beatrice Schuler-Thurner