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Synthetic mRNA pp 163–175Cite as

FLT3 Ligand as a Molecular Adjuvant for Naked RNA Vaccines

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1428))

Abstract

Intranodal immunization with antigen-encoding naked mRNA has proven to be an efficacious and safe approach to induce antitumor immunity. Thanks to its unique characteristics, mRNA can act not only as a source for antigen but also as an adjuvant for activation of the immune system. The search for additional adjuvants that can be combined with mRNA to further improve the potency of the immunization revealed Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) ligand as a potent candidate. Systemic administration of the dendritic cell-activating FLT3 ligand prior to or along with mRNA immunization-enhanced priming and expansion of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in lymphoid organs, T-cell homing into melanoma tumors, and therapeutic activity of the intranodally administered mRNA. Both compounds demonstrate a successful combination in terms of boosting the immune response. This chapter describes methods for intranodal immunization with naked mRNA by co-administration of FLT3 ligand, which leads to strong synergistic effects.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Marc Holzmann for helpful technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. TRON-Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University, TRON gGmbH, Freiligrathstrasse 12, 55131, Mainz, Germany

    Sebastian Kreiter, Mustafa Diken, Abderraouf Selmi, Jutta Petschenka, Özlem Türeci & Ugur Sahin

Authors
  1. Sebastian Kreiter
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  2. Mustafa Diken
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  3. Abderraouf Selmi
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  4. Jutta Petschenka
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  5. Özlem Türeci
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  6. Ugur Sahin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ugur Sahin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Biochemistry&Molecular Bio, Louisiana State Univ Health Scien center, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

    Robert E. Rhoads

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Kreiter, S., Diken, M., Selmi, A., Petschenka, J., Türeci, Ö., Sahin, U. (2016). FLT3 Ligand as a Molecular Adjuvant for Naked RNA Vaccines. In: Rhoads, R. (eds) Synthetic mRNA. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1428. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3625-0_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3625-0_11

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-3623-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-3625-0

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