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REVIEW article

Front. Mol. Biosci.
Sec. Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1504876
This article is part of the Research Topic In Vitro Transcription (IVT) Reaction – The Gateway to New Therapeutic Modalities View all 9 articles

Bacteriophage RNA polymerases: Catalysts for mRNA vaccines and therapeutics

Provisionally accepted
Adithya Nair Adithya Nair 1*Zoltán Kis Zoltán Kis 1,2*
  • 1 The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
  • 2 Imperial College London, London, England, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The manuscript provides a comprehensive review of bacteriophage-derived RNA polymerases (RNAPs) and their relevance to mRNA manufacturing, particularly for mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. The review explores various aspects of in vitro transcription (IVT), the mechanism of RNAPs, critical process parameters (CPPs), and critical material attributes (CMAs) that influence the quality attributes of mRNA drug substances.The article is timely, addressing the current importance of mRNA technology after its success in COVID-19 vaccine development. The focus on bacteriophage RNAPs in mRNA manufacturing provides a valuable perspective, particularly from a quality-by-design (QbD) approach.The manuscript is well-structured, with a clear introduction that outlines the history and importance of bacteriophage-derived RNAPs. The depth of the review is commendable. The authors thoroughly cover the mechanistic and structural basis of RNAP function, supported by numerous citations. The manuscript is well-referenced with up-to-date citations. The writing language is scientifically precise and follows a consistent academic style.This review provides an important contribution to the field of RNA polymerases and mRNA manufacturing. I recommend acceptance without revisions.The authors thank Reviewer 1 for their very positive and valuable feedback.The authors have made minor revisions to address the comments of Reviewer 2.Bacteriophage RNA polymerases: Catalysts for mRNA vaccines and therapeutics is a well written comprehensive review. The review discusses the strategies and mechanisms in a

    Keywords: Bacteriophage RNA polymerase, T7 RNA polymerase, In vitro transcription, mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, mRNA manufacturing, Quality by design

    Received: 01 Oct 2024; Accepted: 08 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Nair and Kis. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Adithya Nair, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
    Zoltán Kis, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.