Agilent Technologies is a market leader in chemical analysis and diagnostics tools across a range of industries including the biopharmaceutical one. The company has branched into the nucleic acid-based vaccine development space. Dr Goetz Frommer, Diagnostics and Genomics Market Specialist at Agilent examined how Agilent’s tools enhance quality control (QC) and analytical workflows.
mRNA vaccines gained public attention when they were developed for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. RNA is an important tool in therapies for infectious diseases and cancer.
Agilent’s fragment analyzer is applied to several stages of QC and vaccine development. Frommer explained: “This instrument is based on capillary electrophoresis, and it's well used on these various QC steps from initial QC quality testing to final checks.” The capillary system allows scientists to run a fully automated system out of 96 well plates. The platform is user friendly because it is easy to set up and the chemistry is well established.
Regarding RNA formulation, designing and selecting an appropriate lipid nanoparticle to deliver a therapy to a target site is highly challenging. Thomas Fechner, Biopharma Market Specialist at Agilent demonstrated how Agilent’s 1290 Infinity II Bio LC system uses liquid chromatography and evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) to measure and quantify the different LNP components during method development and final QC.
Agilent’s multi-column selector (AdvanceBio) enables streamlined method development by allowing for easy switching between columns. Agilent’s systems allow seamless scaling from R&D (analytical-scale columns) to manufacturing (preparative-scale columns), ensuring reproducibility across production phases.
To add credibility to Agilent’s tools, Fechner showed real-world examples of Agilent’s technology in action. For example, he analysed the final mRNA product of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine to confirm uniform LNP encapsulation and RNA integrity.
Agilent’s comprehensive toolkit, spanning RNA isolation, QC, LNP formulation, and scalable manufacturing solutions, provides researchers and manufacturers with the resources needed to develop effective, safe, and consistent RNA vaccines. This capability positions Agilent as a key partner in driving the future of RNA-based therapies.
