Manufacturing costs are one of the most pressing challenges facing teams working to scale RNA therapeutic and vaccine pipelines. In vitro transcription, or IVT, relies on several central raw materials, including DNA template, cap analog, nucleotide triphosphates, and RNA polymerase. Among these, DNA template, cap analog, and RNA polymerase can be significant cost drivers, making them important targets for process optimization.
In this short presentation, Jasmina Radoicic, PhD, Senior Scientist at Primrose Bio, discusses how Primrose evaluated reduced concentrations of these key IVT inputs and measured the impact on mRNA yield and capping efficiency.
Using Prima RNApols® Cap AU, the study shows that not all RNA polymerases respond equally to reduced input conditions. When DNA template concentration was cut in half, from 8 nM to 4 nM, Prima Cap AU retained yields within 10% of standard conditions, while conventional T7 and mutant T7 polymerases showed greater yield losses. Prima Cap AU also demonstrated higher capping efficiency at reduced cap analog concentrations and maintained strong productivity at lower enzyme input.
These findings highlight how optimized RNA polymerases can help identify where IVT cost reductions are achievable and where reduced input strategies may carry performance risk. Watch the full presentation to learn how Prima Cap AU supports high-yield, highly capped mRNA production with reduced DNA template, cap analog, and enzyme requirements.
Jasmina Radoicic
Jasmina Radoicic, PhD is a Senior Scientist at Primrose Bio, where she leads the bioanalytical team in the development and application of diverse bioanalytical methods for evaluation of polymerases, proteins and process and product-related impurities. She earned her PhD from the University of California, San Diego, where she focused on the biochemical and biophysical characterization of membrane proteins and their ligands.