Purchasing
How do I purchase from the RNA & Formulation Core?
Regardless of the scale of project, we require a one-time signage of a Master Service Agreement that outlines the scope of our partnership over a 5-year timeline. This has been streamlined using a non-negotiable agreement template to ensure the process is as little paperwork as possible and usually takes a few business days to process. This agreement ensures that we operate as a service provider and do not take ownership of any sequences or formulation chemistries that we manufacture.
Why is RNA more affordable from UBC’s RNA & Formulation Core?
As part of UBC, the RNA & Formulation Core is a government funded, non-profit facility. Rather than use the facility as an income source, the facility can focus on advancing knowledge in RNA manufacturing and improve accessibility for RNA research.
Is bulk pricing available?
Absolutely. Any time we can multiplex production or produce in bulk, the savings are passed along.
Shipping
How do I ship my samples to the RNA & Formulation Core?
What shipping options are recommended?
We strongly recommend using FedEx Priority Alert. To reduce the risk of sample degradation, FedEx Priority Alert is used to ensure samples remain at temperature during shipment, even during a delay. If samples are damaged or otherwise lost during shipment, we will replace them when using this service.
How much does shipping cost?
We typically charge $400-500 for dry ice shipment via FedEx Priority Alert. We are working on solutions to reduce this cost.
FedEx Priority can be used for lyophilized shipments for $100 or less.
How stable is lyophilized RNA during shipment?
A primary goal of our facility is to make RNA research accessible and freeze-drying our samples has been a well received step in that direction. We have found no significant change in integrity or functional performance of our lyophilized RNA after 1-day at room temperature. Our extended degradation studies suggest that, when lyophilized under our conditions, less than 2% functional activity is lost per-day under normal shipping conditions. Given that most shipments are overnight, most clients are happy to compromise the generally undetectable loss in activity for the additional shipping and handling savings.
Production
Why does traditional RNA production take so long?
Unlike chemical synthesis of RNA, in vitro transcription requires a DNA template for RNA synthesis. It is the DNA synthesis itself that creates long lead-times for RNA production. This is why we have developed the AcceleRNA that allows for rapid DNA preparations and production timelines as short as two to three weeks.
Should I include modified nucleotides in my RNA?
As unmodified RNA products mimic viral RNA, their immunostimulatory effects are generally associated with reduced expression. Therefore, the majority of in vivo experiments benefit from the immune silencing afforded by modified nucleotides. N1-methyl-pseudouridine was used in the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.
Why is N1-methyl-pseudouridine included in catalogue mRNA products?
N1-methyl-pseudouridine is generally regarded as beneficial to mRNA function, with few cell type exceptions. The modification is widely used for in vivo experiments and the different in production cost is minimal . Therefore, we simply incorporate it into all catalogue mRNA products to limit the number of variables when transitioning between in vitro and in vivo work. If you require non-modified, or alternative modification, of our catalogue products, we are happy to prepare them on-demand.
What modifications are available?
We currently keep the immune modulating N1-methyl-pseudouridine and 5-methylcytidine modified nucleotides. We also carry Cy5 modified UTP for generating fluorescent RNA. However, our partners prepare an extensive array of modified nucleotides, allowing us to prepare RNA with nearly any modification.
Can we order RNA containing sequences of pathogenic origin?
Yes, pending a background check. If you are within the United States, this will require further steps to ensure there are no issues with shipping.
Other
What formulation services are available?
We currently offer formulation services as a one-stop shop via our partner lab. Please inquire.
What IP consideration are there with RNA production at the core?
To provide top-performing RNA and benchmarks, we use some IP in our routine work. We are also happy to develop IP-free designs or use your own IP. As the facility is designed primarily as a fee-for-service model, we do not claim ownership of IP provided to UBC in completion of the projects.