mRNA vaccines: Development, manufacturing, and how NanoDrop Eight can help

The development and manufacturing of mRNA vaccines has recently experienced a surge of interest. In this free SelectScience^® webinar, now available on demand, Patrick Brown, product marketing specialist at Thermo Fisher Scientific, discusses mRNA vaccine workflows, provides history on mRNA vaccines, and proposes how the Thermo Scientific™ NanoDrop™ Eight Microvolume UV-Vis Spectrophotometer can aide researchers and production engineers in assessing nucleic acid concentration and purity while complying with 21 CFR Part 11.

Register now to watch the webinar on demand, and read on for highlights from the Q&A discussion:

Are companies already using NanoDrop instruments in mRNA vaccine development and production?

PB: We value the privacy of all of our users, but I can confirm that there are several corporations, globally, that are using our NanoDrop instruments. Specifically the NanoDrop One, since it's been on the market for some time now, in mRNA virus workflows for production, as well as research.

What new mRNA vaccines are under development currently?

PB: If we take a look at the publicly available information, there are a number of mRNA vaccines under development, potentially for malaria, hepatitis, HIV, and some specific forms of cancers. So, I think we're going to see an explosion of mRNA vaccines in the next, 5 to 10 years.

What sample size is needed for the NanoDrop instruments?

PB: The minimum sample that is needed is 1 microliter, and we can measure up to about 2 microliters, as well. So, 1 to 2 microliters.

What is the limit of detection for DNA in RNA samples using the NanoDrop One?

PB: When we think of the limit of detection, we're talking about the lower end, what's the most dilute sample that we can measure? The NanoDrop One can measure DNA that is 2 nanograms per microliter, and for RNA, that is 1.6 nanograms per microliter.

Do these spectrophotometers have a Peltier device to help keep the sample temperature constant?

PB: The NanoDrop Eight does not have any sample temperature control. The NanoDrop One C, that has the cuvette port, has a simple temperature control system where you can set the cuvette temperature to 37 ºC. Some of our other cuvette-based spectrophotometers, such as our Evolution line from Thermo Scientific, do have Peltier devices, but that would not be on a microvolume scale but in a cuvette-based measurement.

Can I measure protein concentration using the NanoDrop instrumentation?

PB: The NanoDrop instruments are full spectrum spectrophotometers, so you can measure protein concentration in two different ways. If you had a purified protein, such as a recombinant protein that you have extracted and purified, you can use a direct measurement at 280 nanometers to measure the absorbance that way. This measures the absorbance due to the amino acids, tryptophan, tyrosine, and cysteine double bonds. If you have a peptide that does not contain those amino acids, you could measure using our A205 application, which measures at 205 nanometers, which is indicative of the presence of the peptide backbone. Lastly, if you have something like whole-cell lysates that you might be using for a western blot, you can use our NanoDrop One or NanoDrop Eight to measure a colorimetric assay, something like BCA or Bradford. So, there are multiple ways to measure a protein using a NanoDrop instrument.

How can I try out the new NanoDrop Eight spectrophotometer?

PB: There are different ways you can try out instruments, depending on your region. Those in North America can reach out to our NanoDrop technical support team and customer support team through the email box, nanodrop@thermofisher.com. In North America, we do have a free trial program where you can try out a NanoDrop instrument in your lab for about seven business days.
In Europe, and other parts of the world, you can reach out to your local NanoDrop sales distributor to see what type of programs are available. Some will have demo programs, others might be able to do a virtual demo. So, there's different ways you can try out the instrument, or see the instrument for yourself.

To learn more about the NanoDrop Eight, watch the webinar on demand >>

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