Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology could offer a new approach to treating autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes, according to new preclinical research published in Advanced Science.

Researchers from the Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED) at Hasselt University and Belgian biotechnology company etherna found that mRNA technology can be used to selectively suppress harmful immune responses rather than stimulate them, opening up the possibility of developing more targeted therapies for autoimmune conditions.

Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues. While many existing treatments work by suppressing the immune system, they can leave patients vulnerable to infections and other complications because they do not specifically target the immune cells responsible for disease.

The new study investigated whether mRNA technology could instead restore immune tolerance by teaching the immune system to stop attacking the body’s own tissues.

In preclinical models of multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes, the researchers found that the approach reduced disease severity, supporting its potential as a new therapeutic strategy for autoimmune disorders.

One of the study’s most significant findings was that administering the therapy by intramuscular injection produced results comparable to intravenous delivery. Because intramuscular injections are simpler to administer and more practical in routine clinical care, the finding could improve the future accessibility of mRNA-based autoimmune treatments if the approach proves successful in human studies.

The research combined etherna’s expertise in mRNA and lipid nanoparticle technology with immunology research from BIOMED at Hasselt University.

Bernard Sagaert, chief executive officer of etherna, said: “For more than a decade, we have built etherna’s mRNA-LNP platform on one simple conviction: this technology is far more versatile than vaccines alone. These results prove it. They show that our platform can be used not only to activate the immune system, but also to calm it and re-establish immune tolerance in models of multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. This achievement was only possible through collaboration. Combining our platform technology with BIOMED’s leading immunology expertise, is exactly the kind of partnership that turns scientific ambition into therapeutic progress.”

The researchers say the findings highlight the potential of mRNA technology beyond infectious disease vaccines, expanding its possible applications into immune-mediated diseases where more targeted treatment options are needed.

Professor Bieke Broux, BIOMED, Hasselt University, said: “For my team and me, developing effective treatments for people with autoimmune diseases is the greatest driving force behind everything we do. What we have achieved together with etherna is, quite honestly, remarkable. Although further validation in patients remains essential, these findings demonstrate great potential, not only for multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes, but possibly for a broader range of autoimmune diseases.”

Although the results are encouraging, the therapy has so far only been evaluated in preclinical models. Further research will be required to establish its safety and effectiveness in people before clinical development can progress.

The study was supported by VLAIO and carried out in collaboration with researchers from Ghent University–VIB and UMass Chan Medical School. The findings have been published in Advanced Science.