Source: Juan Moyano
A groundbreaking study led by a collaborative team of researchers from the Institute of Biopharmaceutical Sciences at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), including Professors Chi-Ying Huang and Ly James Lee, Dr. Hon-Kan Yip from Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Deputy Director Chih-Hung Chang from Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, and Researcher Hsiu-Jung Liao, has unveiled a novel gene therapy utilizing extracellular vesicles (EVs) encapsulating nucleic acid drugs.
This innovation shows potential in combating severe respiratory diseases such as Acute Lung Injury (ALI), demonstrating modified EVs’ significant ability to reduce lung inflammation and fibrosis. The research findings have been published in the prestigious Journal of Biomedical Science.
Addressing COVID-19 Complications: Pioneering Research in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
According to the team, in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it has been observed that around 5% of COVID-19 cases result in severe symptoms, often accompanied by Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Despite significant advancements in respiratory medical technology, studies indicate that the mortality rate for severe ARDS remains alarmingly high at 88%.
Prof. Chi-Ying Huang explained that the inspiration for this research stemmed from Dr. Hon-Kan Yip’s clinical study on umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell therapy. Through an extensive literature review, they found numerous teams exploring the application of stem cells and their derived extracellular vesicles in treating acute lung injuries.
The research team believed that the efficacy of extracellular vesicles derived from stem cells was limited. In response, they actively searched for feasible target genes. Previous studies have demonstrated that traditional Chinese medicine could help alleviate COVID symptoms by upregulating an intracellular molecule called “let7a-5p,” a molecule that plays a crucial role in regulating inflammatory factors. As a result, the team decided to target let7a-5p as the key therapeutic gene.
Subsequently, to offer a new approach to treating lung injuries, the research team engineered umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells to produce extracellular vesicles rich in “let7a-5p” microRNA by employing Professor Ly James Lee’s cell electroporation transfection technique.
The team from NYCU then took charge of manufacturing and purifying extracellular vesicle nucleic acid drugs, followed by immunological tests conducted in collaboration with Far Eastern Memorial Hospital and animal studies validation with the team from Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
Advancing Biopharmaceutical Innovation: Engineered Extracellular Vesicles Offer New Hope in Treating Acute Lung Injury
According to the research findings published in the Journal of Biomedical Science, titled “Engineered extracellular vesicles carrying let-7a-5p for alleviating inflammation in acute lung injury,” demonstrated this therapy outperforms stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles, exhibiting superior immunomodulatory and anti-fibrotic effects.
“Researchers worldwide are currently focusing on the modification, large-scale purification, and production processes of extracellular vesicle nucleic acid drugs, which hold promise as a novel biopharmaceutical.” The NYCU research team optimistic stated, “Our unique techniques can introduce new concepts to drug development.”
The research team is developing next-generation cell electroporation chip technology for large-scale manufacturing and commercialization. They also plan to advance extracellular vesicle nucleic acid drugs towards clinical applications in the future.
(The illustration was created with BioRender.com)