The COVID-19 pandemic brought mRNA messenger ribonucleic acid vaccines into international prominence. mRNA is highly unstable and storage and/or transportation of these vaccines at -80 °C has been required to avoid degradation. There are ongoing attempts to improve the storage stability of mRNA vaccines by converting them to solid forms using various drying methods.
Lyophilization is one such method and has the potential to stabilize mRNA, but there are few reports that describe the interactions of lyophilized mRNA with excipients (e.g., sugars, salts, and lipids) in the solid state. Methods such as capillary electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and reversed phase HPLC, among others, are currently used to analyze mRNA. However, these methods require reconstitution and samples cannot be analyzed directly in solid state form.
Download this application note now to learn more about the PerkinElmer Spectrum Two™ FTIR Spectrometer’s ability to detect RNA peaks of interest and to carry out post-processing of the spectra.
