Roy van der Meel develops RNA nanotechnology. 'I'm a kind of postie who delivers medicines' - Innovation Origins

When helium explains astatine a day enactment what helium researches, the idiosyncratic compares himself to a postal transportation driver. “When you bid a parcel, the packaging should support the contents. It should beryllium a sturdy container that is casual to transport, and has the close code connected it. It’s nary antithetic with nanoparticles. I besides marque packages, but truthful tiny that they are susceptible of delivering thing into cells of the body.”

For the TU/e end-of-year series, we interrogation 4 scientists from antithetic probe fields astir their highlights of the past year, the biggest challenges successful their research, and what they are looking up to successful 2023. In this 2nd instalment: Roy van der Meel.

Practical explanation

The examination with a postie would look to typify Van der Meel. During our chat, it is worthy noting that the scientist, who received the prestigious VIDI grant past summer, explains his probe successful precise applicable terms. The information that everyone was abruptly talking astir vaccines and mRNA did not faze Van der Meel. He likes to stock what his enactment is about, adjacent sees this arsenic his responsibility. For instance, helium gave a lecture for the University of the Netherlands and organized Pint of Science, an lawsuit wherever scientists talk to members of the wide nationalist astir their enactment implicit a brew successful a pub.

Delivering drugs effectively

Medications taken arsenic pills, specified arsenic paracetamol, disintegrate successful the stomach, are absorbed into the humor and past dispersed passim the body, adjacent wherever they are not needed. This is not a problem, arsenic the broadside effects thin to beryllium minimal. For chemotherapy, for illustration – which besides spreads done the assemblage this mode – it is simply a antithetic story. This therapy destroys steadfast cells arsenic good arsenic crab cells.

The nanopackages that Van der Meel is moving connected should present drugs much effectively, resulting successful less broadside effects. He is doing this for RNA drugs successful particular, the newest benignant of medicine, which allows proteins to beryllium produced by the patient’s ain body.

Van der Meel: “So the thought is that you tin usage the assemblage arsenic your ain idiosyncratic medicine factory. That said, our assemblage has learnt to recognise overseas RNA arsenic an denotation of corruption and consequently cleanable it up. To harness the assemblage arsenic a medicine factory, you person to marque definite the RNA doesn’t interruption down and that it reaches the close spot successful the body.”

To forestall it from disintegrating, the RNA is encapsulated successful abdominous globules that bash not disintegrate until they are absorbed into the cells. This releases the cause to the close place. 

The pandemic arsenic an accelerator

These abdominous globules, oregon lipid nano particles, are besides utilized successful the corona vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and CureVac. The nanotechnology was developed by the probe radical of Pieter Cullis astatine the University of British Columbia successful Canada. Van der Meel was portion of this radical from 2015 to 2019.

Corona has fast-tracked RNA vaccine and cause research. Whereas it usually takes years to present a vaccine to the market, the mRNA vaccine was acceptable wrong 1 year. “I knew it could beryllium done, due to the fact that successful 2018, the archetypal drugs made up of lipid nanoparticles had already been approved. So the nanotechnology was already here. But that it could hap truthful fast, that truly amazed me.”

Precision Medicine Group

In 2019, Van der Meel was recruited by Professor Willem Mulder. The prof wanted to acceptable up a caller radical arsenic a collaborative effort betwixt TU/e and Radboud University Nijmegen. Recently, the Precision Medicine Group, of which Van der Meel is “business leader”, went connected its archetypal retreat to Friesland. “By now, our radical is made up of astir 15 oregon 20 people. It was precise peculiar to spot them each together, we person been moving truthful hard for that implicit the past fewer years. This coming year, our archetypal aio [student adjunct successful training, ed.] is going to gain their PhD. That is besides an unthinkable milestone.”

If you inquire Van der Meel, the Covid-19 vaccines are an “incredibly bully example” of the convergence of nanotechnology and the immunology field. This is besides the powerfulness of the probe group. “TU/e is simply a existent engineering school, not an world hospital. Because of our nexus with Radboud University Nijmegen, we inactive person that transportation with the aesculapian side.” That helium is capable to marque a nonstop interaction connected patients with his probe is his top motivation. “Working connected thing you tin truly assistance radical with, that is what truly motivates me.”

2022: VIDI assistance and a imperishable appointment

2022 was a jackpot twelvemonth for Van der Meel. For 1 thing, helium landed a VIDI grant. The purpose is to make nanotechnology that tin present RNA to circumstantial immunity cells and thereby power the immune effect further. Not lone that, helium besides heard past period that his tenure way has led to a imperishable appointment. “Besides the VIDI grant, this is decidedly a highlight. It means that my colleagues complaint my probe arsenic innovative and progressive, truthful that’s truly great.”

“Working connected thing you tin truly assistance radical with, that is what truly motivates me.”

Looking up to 2023 and beyond, Van der Meel has precocious hopes for the caller procreation of RNA drugs. “Look, present we tin inject an RNA cause into the bloodstream utilizing nanotechnology. But, successful the future, we tin modify those RNA packets truthful that you are capable to present them successful a targeted way. For instance, we tin people lung illness by inhaling RNA particles.”

Vaccines against cancer?

Furthermore, the idiosyncratic besides sees that developments surrounding cistron editing are moving highly fast. “Gene repair is highly interesting. Papers were published past twelvemonth showing however patient’s cholesterin levels tin beryllium kept debased for a twelvemonth with a azygous syringe of an RNA drug. A large drawback of the mRNA vaccine is that it does not pb to a lasting change. Using cistron editing, you tin permanently power DNA. Perhaps successful a fewer years, we volition beryllium capable to nutrient personalised anti-cancer vaccines. Thankfully, developments successful exertion and innovation are inactive progressing contempt everything. I find that precise encouraging.”

Van der Meel is looking guardant to 2023 connected a much idiosyncratic level too. “I became a begetter of twins during the pandemic. Next year, we are moving with our household from a level to a recently built home. I americium truly looking guardant to that. Watching our twins turn up is really the greatest, continuous item successful my beingness for me.”