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CJ-1: an optimized mRNA platform with enhanced protein expression and minimal immunogenicity for therapeutic applications

Abstract

Messenger RNA therapeutics offer broad potential across various diseases, yet achieving sustained and efficient protein expression remains a central challenge. In this study, we report CJ-1, a novel mRNA construct engineered through systematic optimization of major regulatory elements, including the 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions and poly (A) tail. CJ-1 consistently outperformed first-generation mRNA constructs in protein expression across multiple cell types and in vivo mouse models. Moreover, CJ-1 elicited markedly lower cytokine responses, indicating reduced innate immune activation. To evaluate its therapeutic applicability, erythropoietin (EPO)-encoding CJ-1 mRNA was encapsulated in a Pfizer-BioNTech lipid nanoparticle formulation and administered intraperitoneally in mice. This resulted in elevated, sustained serum EPO levels and significant increases in reticulocyte counts and hematocrit. These findings support CJ-1 as a promising mRNA platform with enhanced expression and minimal immunogenicity, advancing the development of safer and more effective mRNA-based therapies.

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Fig. 1: Analysis of cellular and viral 3’ UTRs and mixed tails on protein expression.
Fig. 2: Analysis of the combinations of 5’ UTRs, 3’ UTRs and mixed tails on protein expression.
Fig. 3: Analysis of CJ-1 mRNA efficacy compared to reference mRNA platforms.
Fig. 4: CJ-1 mRNA induces stronger bioluminescent activity in mice compared to reference mRNAs.
Fig. 5: Enhanced EPO expression driven by the CJ-1 mRNA platform and improved hematological parameters.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr. Jong Heon Kim (National Cancer Institute, Republic of Korea) for providing viral IRES-encoding DNA plasmids, Dr. Hyunjoo Cha-Molstad (KRIBB, Republic of Korea) for providing mRNA-B NLuc-encoding DNA plasmid. Finally, we thank ChatGPT (https://chat.openai.com/) for assistance with English language editing. This research was supported by the National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST), funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. GTL24022-000); the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (RS-2025-00522177); the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (RS-2023-KH134750, RS-2024-00465298); and the KRIBB Research Initiative Programs (KGM1062521); the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF) & funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. RS-2022-NR067947).

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SC conceived the project and supervised all procedures of this study. SC, SK, MJJ, MSJ, and YH designed the experiments and analyzed the data. SK, MJJ, MSJ, MKH, JH, DY, KY, JY, and SBY performed the experiments and prepared the figures. SBH provided various intellectual and material support. SC, SK, MJJ, MSJ, MKH, and SBY prepared the figures and wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sungchan Cho.

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All animal procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) (Approval Number: KRIBB-AEC-24299) and performed in accordance with KRIBB guidelines.

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Kim, S., Jo, M.J., Jeong, M.S. et al. CJ-1: an optimized mRNA platform with enhanced protein expression and minimal immunogenicity for therapeutic applications. Gene Ther (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41434-026-00606-4

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