Harnessing vaccine technology to heal bone

Date:
February 16, 2022
Source:
Mayo Clinic
Summary:
To enhance the regeneration of bone, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approved recombinant human bone morphogenetic
protein-2, or BMP-2.

However, it is expensive and only moderately effective. It also
produces side effects -- some severe. Researchers may have a viable,
less risky alternative: messenger RNA. This well-known platform
for vaccines has already proven to be safe in human use by the FDA.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Although fractures normally heal, bone will not regenerate under several circumstances. When bone does not regenerate, major clinical problems
could result, including amputation.


==========================================================================
To enhance the regeneration of bone, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) approved recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2, or
BMP-2. However, it is expensive and only moderately effective. It also
produces side effects ? some severe.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic, along with colleagues in the Netherlands and Germany, may have a viable, less risky alternative: messenger RNA. This
well- known platform for vaccines has already proven to be safe in human
use by the FDA.

The findings in a study involving rats are published in Science
Advances.These findings show that messenger RNA can be used at low doses
to regenerate bone without side effects. Moreover, the quality of the
new bone is superior to bone formed by BMP-2. The researchers also say
that messenger RNA is a good choice for bone regeneration because it
may not need repeat doses. Findings showed the new tissue growth that
occurred after applying messenger RNA was biomechanically superior to the alternative method and remained so throughout eight weeks of monitoring.

Human bone develops in one of two ways: direct formation of bone cells
from mesenchymal progenitor cells, or through endochondral ossification,
in which cartilage forms first and then coverts to bone. The BMP-2
therapy uses the former method, and the messenger RNA approach uses
the latter. In general, the researchers say their work proves that this
method "can heal large, critical- sized, segmental osseous defects of
long bones in a superior fashion to its recombinant protein counterpart."
The researchers say these findings in rats are limited, and studies are
needed in large animals before any translation can be considered for
clinical trials.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Mayo_Clinic. Original written by
Robert Nellis. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Rodolfo E. De La Vega, Martijn van Griensven, Wen Zhang, Michael J.

Coenen, Christopher V. Nagelli, Joseph A. Panos, Carlos J. Peniche
Silva, Johannes Geiger, Christian Plank, Christopher H. Evans,
Elizabeth R.

Balmayor. Efficient healing of large osseous segmental defects using
optimized chemically modified messenger RNA encoding BMP-2. Science
Advances, 2022; 8 (7) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl6242 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220216140408.htm

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