{"id":14908,"date":"2021-07-27T09:00:06","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T23:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/?p=14908"},"modified":"2024-06-25T09:40:55","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T23:40:55","slug":"new-rna-technology-targets-the-spread-of-viruses14908","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/2021\/07\/27\/new-rna-technology-targets-the-spread-of-viruses14908\/","title":{"rendered":"New RNA technology targets the spread of viruses"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are all\u00a0familiar with the term\u00a0DNA,\u00a0yet\u00a0many of us may not realise that it is\u00a0our\u00a0RNA, or Ribonucleic Acid,\u00a0that creates\u00a0the protein\u00a0vital to\u00a0our health\u00a0and\u00a0wellbeing.\u00a0So\u00a0what\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span><\/i>\u00a0RNA,\u00a0and how is a team of scientists\u00a0from the\u00a0<\/span>Menzies Health Institute Queensland<\/span><\/a>\u00a0using it to develop direct-acting antiviral therapies?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this Q&A,\u00a0<\/span>Professor Kevin Morris<\/span><\/a>\u00a0unravels RNA for us and\u00a0provides a fascinating insight into\u00a0how direct-acting antiviral therapies\u00a0can\u00a0target viruses\u00a0such as\u00a0COVID-19,\u00a0now and in the future.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is RNA and how does it differ from\u00a0DNA?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RNA\u00a0is the medium ground\u00a0between DNA and protein.\u00a0DNA\u202fis\u00a0our body\u2019s library\u202fcontaining\u00a0the code of\u00a0every gene.\u00a0It\u00a0is\u00a0this\u00a0code that makes\u202fup\u202fthe\u00a0protein\u00a0that is required throughout the body\u2014in our muscle, bone,\u00a0skin\u00a0and\u00a0hair.\u00a0Because DNA is double-stranded it cannot make protein,\u00a0so\u00a0single-stranded\u00a0RNAs are\u00a0made\u00a0as the medium ground between the DNA and\u00a0the cytoplasm, where the RNA is\u00a0converted\u00a0into protein.\u202fThis is\u00a0the central\u202fdogma of molecular biology.\u00a0DNA is very\u202fstable;\u00a0it is\u00a0the nucleus and\u202fthe guidebook for the body.\u202fBut RNA is less stable,\u00a0and\u202fa\u202flot\u202fof viruses just live in the RNA, never moving to the DNA, and become incorporated in\u00a0proteins\u00a0produced by the RNA.\u00a0An example of such a virus is\u00a0SARS\u202fas it\u00a0only takes\u00a0over the RNA pathway. The RNA for\u00a0HIV, on the other hand,\u00a0becomes a gene in our\u00a0DNA,\u00a0and that\u00a0is\u00a0why HIV\u00a0is\u00a0such a challenge\u00a0to\u00a0eliminate.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is\u00a0direct-acting antiviral therapy?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At Griffith\u00a0University\u00a0we have\u00a0designed and tested\u202fan antiviral\u00a0therapy\u00a0drug that targets the viral RNA\u00a0genome\u00a0directly\u00a0and kills it.\u00a0And it\u00a0is the\u00a0only drug\u00a0in the world\u00a0with this capability.\u00a0Whilst\u00a0other therapies\u00a0target all the RNA in a cell,\u00a0both\u00a0virus and normal cells,\u00a0our therapy\u00a0is very specific\u2014only\u00a0targeting\u00a0the\u00a0protein of the\u00a0virus.\u00a0It\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0very potent method of targeting and killing the viral RNA.\u00a0Essentially,\u00a0RNA interference takes advantage of\u00a0human cell pathways\u00a0and that is why we are trying to alter\u00a0the virus RNA\u00a0at this point. We design\u00a0the RNA\u00a0that\u00a0kills\u00a0the virus\u00a0and\u00a0then\u00a0package\u00a0it\u00a0into nanoparticles\u00a0which are\u00a0injected\u00a0directly\u00a0into the blood.\u00a0Through the blood,\u00a0the RNA is\u00a0carried\u00a0to the lung\u00a0cells where the\u00a0virus\u00a0will be destroyed.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u2018At Griffith University we have\u00a0designed and tested\u202fan antiviral therapy drug that targets the viral RNA genome directly and kills it. And it is the\u00a0only drug\u00a0in the world with this capability.\u2019<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

SARS and\u00a0COVID-19\u00a0were\u00a0the\u00a0initial focus for the\u00a0development\u00a0of this\u00a0direct-acting antiviral therapy.\u00a0Both\u00a0viruses\u00a0come\u00a0into the RNA, not the DNA,\u00a0so\u00a0the RNA\u00a0can be altered and\u00a0targeted.\u00a0Unlike DNA, RNA\u00a0isn\u2019t unique.\u00a0I<\/span>n the case of SARS, although variations or mutations in the virus\u00a0occur,\u00a0the virus\u00a0is fundamentally (80\u00a0–\u00a090%)\u00a0the same.\u00a0Essentially, although viruses evolve,\u00a0there are certain regions in the virus\u00a0and the RNA\u00a0that you\u00a0can\u00a0change\u00a0for impact.\u00a0For SARS\u00a0we designed our therapy against those regions\u202fwhere the virus can\u00a0mutate,\u00a0and those regions are\u00a0in all the\u00a0betacoronaviruses. So,\u00a0in theory,\u00a0our therapy would work on all the\u202fbetacoronavirus\u202ffamily viruses:\u00a0one drug\u00a0for multiple viruses.\u00a0And the drug is super stable\u2014at\u00a0four\u00a0degrees for\u00a0a year\u202fand at room temperature for two months\u2014which is a\u00a0vital\u00a0consideration,\u00a0particularly in third-world countries.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our next step is to move from\u00a0the experimental stage to a phase one trial in Australia. T<\/span>hat is where we are right now.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How did you start researching the COVID-19 virus?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in 2013, when I was at\u00a0the\u00a0University of New South Wales,\u202f<\/span>Professor Nigel McMillan<\/span><\/a>\u00a0at Griffith\u00a0University\u00a0was the only\u00a0person\u00a0in Australia\u00a0working on lipid nanoparticle formulations<\/span>\u2014<\/span>something\u00a0I\u00a0have\u00a0always been\u00a0interested\u00a0in.\u00a0In my lab at\u00a0<\/span>City of Hope<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(a research and treatment centre\u00a0<\/span>in California\u00a0<\/span>for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases), we\u00a0did some\u00a0work\u00a0with\u00a0nanoparticles\u00a0so\u00a0when\u00a0we\u00a0moved out here\u00a0again\u00a0in 2020,\u00a0I could\u00a0bring my research over to Griffith.\u00a0<\/span>Whilst we could\u00a0<\/span>design\u00a0all these\u202fRNAs\u202fand nanoparticles in\u202fCalifornia\u202fwe had no way to test them on live viruses.\u00a0Nigel\u00a0did\u00a0have the capability and\u00a0he was able to\u00a0obtain\u00a0Medical Research Future Funding (MRFF)\u00a0to develop a nanoparticle formulation with our RNA.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Around\u00a0the same time,\u00a0<\/span>COVID-19\u00a0hit\u00a0and\u00a0the only way to keep the lab open in California was to be doing COVID-19 research.\u00a0Similar to\u00a0the flu, we realised early\u00a0on\u00a0that\u00a0COVID-19 required the development of\u00a0therapies.\u00a0Basically,\u00a0we started\u00a0making\u00a0the formulations\u202fin\u202fCalifornia,\u00a0shipping\u00a0them\u00a0to Australia and\u00a0testing\u00a0them\u202fin mice. It\u202fis an excellent\u00a0collaboration\u00a0as\u00a0Nigel\u00a0is\u00a0very good with\u202fnanoparticles\u00a0and I am very\u00a0good with the RNA\u00a0component\u2014a winning combination. The next phase is\u00a0the\u202fmanufacture\u00a0of the drug,\u00a0which will be\u00a0outsourced.\u00a0There\u00a0is\u00a0one group in\u202fPerth\u00a0and\u00a0another group in Vancouver\u00a0and we\u00a0will\u00a0put together\u00a0the parts\u00a0and send them\u00a0to another group\u00a0to\u00a0conduct\u202fdosage toxicology studies.\u00a0Then\u00a0another group will do a\u202f50-person\u202fphase one trial in Australia.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As\u00a0this is a golden opportunity for the government to invest and to create the technology here in Australia,\u00a0Vice Chancellor\u00a0and President\u00a0<\/span>Professor\u00a0Carolyn Evans<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0liaising\u00a0with the Australian\u00a0Government on our behalf.\u00a0Also,\u00a0it\u00a0is a\u00a0golden opportunity for\u00a0the Gold Coast\u00a0University\u00a0Hospital; with the Hospital being\u00a0on campus,\u00a0clinicians\u00a0can team up with\u00a0the scientists\u00a0and\u00a0conduct\u00a0clinical trials.\u00a0All that is needed is\u00a0the development of\u00a0a translational program.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What sparked\u00a0your passion\u00a0for RNA research?\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Really,\u00a0it\u00a0goes back\u202fto\u00a0when I studied\u00a0molecular biology\u00a0at\u00a0high school.\u00a0Around this time\u00a0HIV came out\u00a0and I\u00a0was astounded that a\u00a0virus\u00a0could\u00a0kill\u00a0people\u2014lions and tigers and bears kill people,\u00a0but\u00a0the notion that something you\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0see\u00a0could\u00a0kill\u00a0you\u00a0was mind boggling!\u00a0And\u00a0studying\u00a0advanced biology in my senior year,\u00a0I\u00a0had the worst grades\u00a0<\/span>except<\/span><\/i> for when we studied the\u00a0micro-organisms\u00a0inside our mouths.\u00a0Then\u00a0I got the highest grade. I think\u00a0that\u00a0sparked my\u00a0innate curiosity about the molecular aspects of life.\u00a0<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u2018I\u00a0am\u00a0super creative\u00a0and molecular biology reminds me of\u00a0playing in the sandbox\u00a0as a kid\u00a0and creating worlds\u00a0and realities \u2026\u00a0Ultimately you get to see whether your idea or hypotheses can translate into a reality.\u2019<\/span><\/i> \u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What continues to compel me\u00a0is\u00a0the creative side of science.\u00a0I\u00a0am\u00a0super creative\u00a0and molecular biology\u00a0reminds me of\u00a0playing\u00a0in the sandbox\u00a0as a kid\u00a0and creating\u00a0worlds\u00a0and realities.\u00a0That place where you\u00a0get an\u00a0idea\u00a0and start to\u00a0wonder, and then you create,\u00a0put it\u00a0all\u00a0together,\u00a0and test it in a living cell. Ultimately you get to see whether your idea or hypotheses can translate into a reality. So, more than anything,\u202ffor me it\u00a0is\u00a0a\u202fcreative outlet.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u00a0advice\u00a0would you give to upcoming researchers?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Find your bliss\u00a0and follow it.\u00a0Finding what\u00a0excites\u00a0and motivates\u00a0you\u00a0in whatever you are doing\u00a0is the\u00a0biggest\u00a0hurdle,\u00a0but\u00a0it is\u00a0this\u00a0motivation\u00a0that\u00a0drives\u00a0the creativity.\u00a0The\u00a0drive\u00a0and\u00a0inspiration\u202fare what will\u00a0get you over the hill and\u00a0keep\u00a0you excited.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Oftentimes\u00a0when I meet\u00a0with\u00a0students,\u00a0they\u00a0feel\u00a0so overwhelmed\u00a0as they have so many aims and struggle to\u00a0narrow\u00a0them\u00a0down.\u00a0So,\u00a0I\u00a0remind them\u00a0that they are exploring the unknown and\u00a0I\u00a0try to excite\u00a0them\u00a0about\u00a0the fact that\u00a0no\u00a0one else on the planet\u00a0is\u00a0doing what\u00a0they are\u00a0doing\u00a0and that that is\u00a0the thing with science\u2014you are\u00a0doing something in the ether on your own.\u202fWhat\u00a0they\u00a0are doing\u00a0is creating entirely new platforms\u00a0and\u00a0new\u202ftechnologies\u00a0and\u00a0testing new hypotheses. And a lot of times,\u00a0new researchers\u00a0are\u00a0overwhelmed\u202fbecause\u00a0they don’t know how to do things yet, but as they learn\u00a0each\u00a0technique,\u00a0they\u00a0start to understand and just get stuck in.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

World-leading research<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Discover\u202fmore about\u00a0RNA and antiviral therapy through\u202f<\/span>Professor Kevin Morris\u2019\u00a0open access research<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on\u202f<\/span>Griffith Research Online<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are all\u00a0familiar with the term\u00a0DNA,\u00a0yet\u00a0many of us may not realise that it is\u00a0our\u00a0RNA, or Ribonucleic Acid,\u00a0that creates\u00a0the protein\u00a0vital to\u00a0our health\u00a0and\u00a0wellbeing.\u00a0So\u00a0what\u00a0is\u00a0RNA,\u00a0and how is a team of scientists\u00a0from the\u00a0Menzies Health Institute Queensland\u00a0using it to develop direct-acting antiviral therapies?\u00a0 In this Q&A,\u00a0Professor Kevin Morris\u00a0unravels RNA for us and\u00a0provides a fascinating insight into\u00a0how direct-acting antiviral therapies\u00a0can\u00a0target viruses\u00a0such as\u00a0COVID-19,\u00a0now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":17347,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,172,5,3],"tags":[162],"class_list":["post-14908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-researcher-profile","category-researchers","category-students","tag-general"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Vanessa Gatt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2021\/07\/Source-Professor-Kevin-Morris.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14908\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}