Pharmacokinetic Analyses of a Lipid Nanoparticle-Encapsulated mRNA-Encoded Antibody against Rift Valley Fever Virus

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) could cause an emergency illness characterized by fever, muscle pain, and even death in humans or ruminants. However, there are no approved antiviral drugs that prevent or treat RVFV infection. While therapeutic antibodies have shown promising potential for prevention or treatment in several studies, many studies are ongoing, especially in the field of infectious diseases. Among these studies, the mRNA-LNP platform shows great potential for application, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, we have obtained a neutralizing antibody against RVFV, which was named A38 protein and verified to have a high binding and neutralization ability. In this study, we aimed to identify an effectively optimized sequence and expressed the prioritized mRNA-encoded antibody in vitro. Notably, we effectively expressed mRNA-encoded protein and used the mRNA-LNP platform to generate A38-mRNA-LNP. Pharmacokinetic experiments were conducted in vivo and set up in two groups of mRNA-A38 group and A38 protein group, which were derived from mRNA-LNP and plasmid DNA-expressed proteins, respectively. A38-mRNA-LNPs were administrated by intramuscular injection, A38 proteins were administrated by intravenous administration, and their unique ability to maintain long-lasting protein concentrations by mRNA-encoded protein was demonstrated with the mRNA-encoded protein providing a longer circulating half-life compared to injection of the free A38 protein. These preclinical data on the mRNA-encoded antibody highlighted its potential to prevent infectious diseases in the future.