Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have revolutionized the global fight against infectious diseases, an impact accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite their effectiveness, producing mRNA vaccines at scale presents numerous challenges, particularly in the supply chain. One of the biggest mRNA vaccine challenges is supply chain bottlenecks.  

Generally, the source of these bottlenecks is the production of recombinant enzymes – a crucial ingredient for synthesizing mRNA. 

In this blog, we’ll explore these challenges, and how industrial-scale enzyme production could overcome them. 

The mRNA vaccine production process 

mRNA vaccines work by instructing cells to produce a specific protein, triggering an immune response. For example, the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines prompt the body to spike the protein for SARS-CoV-2, helping the immune system recognize and fight it. 

The production of these vaccines relies on a process called in vitro transcription (IVT). Enzymes like RNA polymerase are key to this step. They convert DNA into mRNA, which carries the genetic information needed for the vaccine to work.

Once the mRNA is created, it’s packaged into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for delivery into cells. These LNPs protect the fragile mRNA and help it enter the body’s cells effectively. 

Challenges in mRNA vaccine production 

While mRNA vaccines are promising, there are several bottlenecks in their production. One of the biggest challenges is producing the enzymes required for the IVT process. High demand for vaccines, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, put pressure on the supply chain. A supply chain that was already costly, lengthy, and could be unreliable if the expression systems weren’t equipped to deal with complex enzymes. 

Read more about why complex enzymes are difficult to express, here. 

As a result, a lack of scalable enzyme production has led to delays in vaccine manufacturing. 

This bottleneck impacts not just manufacturers but also populations waiting for vaccines. When production slows, it takes longer for vaccines to reach the market. Ultimately, this delays clinical trials, regulatory approvals, and the rollout of life-saving vaccines. This can be critical, especially in the face of global health crises like COVID-19. 

Why industrial-scale enzyme production is crucial 

Recombinant enzymes are the backbone of mRNA production. Without them, vaccines cannot be made. However, traditional enzyme production methods are often slow, costly and difficult to scale up.  

That’s where industrial-scale enzyme production comes in. By ramping up the production of these critical enzymes, vaccine manufacturers can overcome challenges throughout the supply chain. 

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Here are the key benefits of scaling up enzyme production: 

• Consistent enzyme quality: high-quality recombinant enzymes are essential for ensuring that mRNA is produced accurately, making vaccines more effective.  

• Faster vaccine development: commercial-scale production allows for quicker access to the enzymes needed for in vitro transcription. This speeds up the entire vaccine manufacturing process, from research to clinical trials. 

• Reliable supply: when enzymes are produced at scale, manufacturers can reliably meet growing demands without facing delays or shortages. 

• Lower operational costs (OPEX): scaling up enzyme production increases efficiency, reducing operational costs for manufacturers. By producing more enzymes at once, the overall cost per unit is much lower. 

• Efficient protein expression: larger scale enzyme production ensures efficient protein expression processes, leading to more reliable and robust outputs, which ultimately benefit the entire vaccine production pipeline

Cocoon Bioscience launches an industrial scale facility  

Cocoon Bioscience has taken a bold step that supports the R&D necessary to solve this problem. We’ve launched an industrial scale facility in Derio, Spain, that specializes in producing recombinant enzymes and growth factors. In fact, it’s the first of its kind using insects in their chrysalis stage as low-cost natural bioreactors.  

This method is sustainable, scalable, and economically viable compared to alternative reagent supply chains.  

Read more about the commercial facility here 

Here’s why Cocoon Bioscience’s solution is so impactful: 

• Industrial scale: Cocoon’s industrial scale facility means that R&D can happen more rapidly, and at a larger scale, supporting those researching vaccine solutions to accelerate progress. 

• Sustainable production: using cocoons as bioreactors allows for eco-friendly enzyme production, reducing the environmental footprint compared to traditional, energy-intensive bioreactor systems. 

• Custom enzyme development: Cocoon offers tailored solutions for researchers, allowing them to design and produce specific enzymes for different treatments. 

• Reduced costs: by scaling up enzyme production, Cocoon reduces operational expenses (OPEX), making it more cost-effective for manufacturers to produce vaccines. This efficient expression system also cuts down on the time and resources required for enzyme production. 

• Support for faster vaccine delivery: with access to Cocoon’s industrial-scale enzyme supply, vaccine manufacturers can scale up their production lines quickly. Our platform is not only able to successfully express complex enzymes, but it can be scaled linearly with ease.  

By producing enzymes at an industrial scale, Cocoon Bioscience can meet the growing demand for enzymes for R&D throughout the life sciences industry. From mRNA therapies to gene sequencing, this will support faster and less costly development of advanced therapies. 

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The global impact of industrial enzyme production 

The opening of Cocoon Bioscience’s facility in Spain marks a significant milestone in the fight against infectious diseases. By addressing the enzyme bottleneck, Cocoon is helping speed up vaccine development and lower costs, accelerating progress towards finding new, accessible vaccine solutions. 

This industrial-scale production will play a key role in the development of not only COVID-19 mRNA vaccines but also future vaccines. As the demand for mRNA vaccines continues to rise, Cocoon’s enzyme production will help researchers and manufacturers keep up, ensuring that critical vaccines can be developed and distributed rapidly. 

Cocoon Bioscience is at the forefront of solving one of the biggest challenges in mRNA vaccine production. Learn more about our platform and the impact of commercial production here.