Overview
- Published in Science Signaling, the work reports the first synthesis of functional long noncoding RNAs outside cells for disease-relevant modulation.
- Researchers produced GAPLINC, MIST, and DRAIR using in vitro transcription with chemical base changes, high-performance liquid chromatography purification, and lipid nanoparticle delivery.
- In mouse inflammatory models, the delivered lncRNAs reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, indicating therapeutic activity in vivo.
- GAPLINC also suppressed inflammatory signals in human immune cell cultures, demonstrating cross-species functional effects.
- Structural and chemical modifications increased potency and enabled lower doses, though the findings remain an early preclinical proof of concept requiring further development.