Importance of Quality Control of In Vitro Transcribed RNA

Importance of Quality Control of In Vitro Transcribed RNA

Abstract
The recent Covid-19 pandemic has raised awareness of RNA-based vaccines and the speed at which they can be developed and produced in case of disease outbreaks. The first approved RNA therapeutics were the Covid-19 vaccines, however RNA is being investigated for other prophylactic vaccines, therapeutics, and therapeutic vaccines.
One way to produce the RNA specimen required for these new vaccines and therapeutics is in vitro transcription (IVT). When producing any IVT RNA, quality control (QC) of the RNA is essential to ensure that the product has the required length, does not contain contaminants or degradation products, and verify the absence of the DNA template used for IVT RNA production.
The Agilent Fragment Analyzer and TapeStation systems have been successfully deployed by major pharmaceutical companies for automated QC and size analysis during the IVT RNA production workflow. Both systems provide accurate and precise sizing ensuring the accuracy of both the DNA templates and final IVT RNA products. With this it can be verified that the appropriate templates are used in the IVT reaction and that the final IVT RNA is suitable for the intended downstream application ensuring a safe and efficient production.