Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42098057›Full record

ArticleBiotechnology and bioengineering2026

A Modular Mechanistic In Silico Model for In Vitro Transcription Process Yield and Product Quality Prediction.

Keqi Wang, Keilung Choy, Eli Reiser, Jinxiang Pei, Hua Zheng, Aparajita Dasgupta, Fuqiang Cheng, Guogang Dong, Bhanu Chandra Mulukutla, Joshua Mannheimer and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biotechnology and bioengineering, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Keqi WangDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3219-3885
Keilung ChoyDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Eli ReiserBioprocess Research and Development, Pfizer Research and Development, Andover, Massachusetts, USA.
Jinxiang PeiDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Hua ZhengDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Aparajita DasguptaManufacturing Sciences and Technology, Pfizer Global Supply, Andover, Massachusetts, USA.
Fuqiang ChengDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Guogang DongBioprocess Research and Development, Pfizer Research and Development, Andover, Massachusetts, USA.
Bhanu Chandra MulukutlaBioprocess Research and Development, Pfizer Research and Development, Andover, Massachusetts, USA.
Joshua MannheimerBioprocess Research and Development, Pfizer Research and Development, Andover, Massachusetts, USA.
Carolyn HuangBioprocess Research and Development, Pfizer Research and Development, Andover, Massachusetts, USA.
Hooman FarsaniBioprocess Research and Development, Pfizer Research and Development, Andover, Massachusetts, USA.
Wei XieDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9563-4927

Funding

Pfizer and the National Science Foundation CMMI-2442970
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In vitro transcription (IVT) plays a critical role in the manufacture of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. Optimizing mRNA yield and ensuring product quality, such as capping efficiency and integrity, are essential but mechanistically complex. This study presents a modular mechanistic model of the IVT process to advance scientific understanding and improve predictive capability. The IVT reaction network is decomposed into interconnected modules describing (1) initiation and capping, (2) elongation and truncation, (3) termination and read-through, (4) mRNA degradation, (5) magnesium pyrophosphate precipitation, and (6) enzymatic degradation of pyrophosphate. Guided by biochemical principles and experimental data, kinetic models were developed for each module, accounting for mass balances, molecular complexation, and enzyme activity, and were subsequently assembled to capture coupled IVT dynamics. Multivariate residual analysis and Shapley value-based sensitivity analysis-guided by domain knowledge-were applied to iteratively improve model fidelity. These machine learning-driven analytics enabled the identification of key mechanisms, supported in silico experimentation, and facilitated root-cause analysis. Combined with Gaussian-process-based batch Bayesian optimization for efficient parameter estimation, this framework establishes a scalable hybrid (mechanistic + machine-learning) modeling platform that integrates heterogeneous data, accelerates model calibration, and supports rational design and optimization of mRNA manufacturing processes.

Indexed as

Computer SimulationModels, BiologicalRNA, MessengerTranscription, GeneticRNA, MessengerBayesian optimizationin vitro transcription (IVT)mechanistic modelingmodular kinetic modelmRNA manufacturingmRNA product quality attributes

Identifiers

PMID42098057
PMCPMC13309252

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.