Australian mRNA Cancer Vaccine Hub
The Australian mRNA Cancer Vaccine Hub is national research infrastructure based at the University of Queensland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, funded by the Medical Research Future Fund.
We give Australian researchers a single place to take a cancer vaccine from a tumour sample through to preclinical data. That covers whole-exome and RNA sequencing, neo-antigen prediction and validation, mRNA construct design, lipid nanoparticle formulation, quality control and in vivo evaluation, with mRNA manufacture in two to three weeks.
We are a research centre and do not supply vaccines to patients.
Our programs run with clinician-researchers in paediatric brain, blood, pancreatic, breast, gastrointestinal and lung cancer, and we develop targeted delivery technology that takes mRNA-LNPs beyond the liver.
- Website
- https://www.mrnacancerhub.com
- Organisation type
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- University Research Centre
- Number of research staff
- 20-100 research staff
- Address
- Building 75, Cnr College Rd &, Cooper Rd, St Lucia QLD 4067
Strengths and capabilities
- Tumour whole-exome and RNA sequencing
- Somatic variant calling against matched germline
- HLA typing and MHC class I and II binding prediction
- Machine learning prioritisation of neo-antigens
- T cell validation of predicted neo-antigens
- Polyepitope mRNA construct design
- Codon optimisation and modified nucleoside chemistry
- mRNA sequence design software (mRNArchitect)
- In vitro transcription and enzymatic capping
- Microfluidic lipid nanoparticle formulation
- mRNA integrity, capping and impurity analysis
- Bispecific antibody targeting of mRNA-LNPs beyond the liver
- Fixed-antigen vaccine matching from tumour antigen profiles
- In vivo evaluation across multiple cancer models
Facilities and major equipment
- Microfluidic mixing systems for lipid nanoparticle formulation
- HPLC and cellulose-based mRNA purification
- Capillary electrophoresis for mRNA integrity analysis
- Physical Containment Class 2 (PC2) laboratories
- Flow cytometry and cell sorting
- Mass spectrometry for protein-level antigen validation
- Immunohistochemistry for antigen expression
- Preclinical animal facility for in vivo tumour models
- High-performance computing for genomic and neo-antigen pipelines
Achievements of the centre
- PaedNEO-VAX, a world-first trial of personalised mRNA vaccines for children with brain tumours, $2.578 million, 8 hospitals. UQ News
- Established Australia's first laboratory dedicated to designing, manufacturing and delivering personalised mRNA cancer vaccines. UQ News
- Tour de Cure funding for synthetic cytokine and treatment-resistant cancer vaccine projects within the Hub. AIBN News
Key science sectors
More information about the sectors this centre is involved in:
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