Developing RNA-based therapeutics against emerging respiratory viruses - Dr Adi Idris, School of Biomedical Sciences, QUT

Abstract

RNA biologics are now emerging as realistic and achievable clinically translatable treatment modalities for a range of human diseases. Importantly, respiratory viruses are amenable to gene therapy-based targeting. Despite the deployment of several vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 variants are emerging, and a direct acting therapeutic is of dire need. Similarly direct acting antivirals against other emerging respiratory viruses, respiratory syncytia virus (RSV), influenza (IAV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) are needed. There is an urgent need to bring new antivirals against respiratory viruses to the market. We have been exploring the use of RNA interference (RNAi) to directly target respiratory viruses and show that RNAi is an effective approach to reducing, or even eliminating viral replication in animals. We were the first to develop a direct-acting RNA-based antiviral against COVID-19. We developed lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that effectively deliver short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to target respiratory virus infection in lungs and the nasal cavity. We have also harnessed extracellular vesicles (EVs) for loading anti-SARS-CoV-2 long antisense RNAs (asRNAs) for the purposes of anti-COVID-19 therapy in vivo. We are the first to demonstrate the use of engineered EVs to deliver long asRNA payloads for antiviral therapy. Our approach will not only result in the ushering in of an entirely new cost-effective and rapidly deployable RNA platform technology, but also could deliver the first in class RNA drugs suitable for any new RNA respiratory viruses of concern. 

Bio

Dr Adi Idris is an experienced infectious diseases expert with > 13 years research experience and has >65 research publications (>2600 citations, H-index=22). Throughout his career, he has attracted international and national research funding amounting over AUD 9 million. His research focuses on developing novel therapeutic strategies to treat a range of human diseases including, cancers and communicable diseases using gene editing and silencing technologies. In 2018, he was awarded the highly competitive Australian Awards 2018 Endeavour Research Fellowship to work at one of the world’s top five cancer institutes, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Canada. He developed the world’s first direct acting antiviral therapy for COVID-19. He has a PhD in Cell Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Queensland (2009).