Beyond COVID-19 vaccines: what else could mRNA technology do for our health? Premium

mRNA discoveries have opened new possibilities for how we treat common infectious illnesses as well as genetic diseases that have previously defied treatment.

Many people first became familiar with the term “mRNA” when Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out. In the simplest terms, mRNA, which stands for messenger ribonucleic acid, is a type of genetic material that gives cells in our bodies instructions to make specific proteins.

More recently the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman from the University of Pennsylvania for their discoveries in mRNA biology.

These scientists’ work has underpinned multiple successful COVID-19 vaccines, which undoubtedly shifted the course of the pandemic. But their discoveries have likewise opened the door to a range of possible therapeutics which, until recently, remained elusive.

Within each of our cells are ribosomes, and micro-machines that manufacture proteins, which in turn make up everything from muscle and bone to enzymes and hormones.

mRNA is the intermediate chemical “message” that carries the genetic code locked in the chromosomes of our DNA to the cytoplasm, the fluid that fills our cells and where proteins are made.

The ability to deliver genetic information directly into a cell has been one of medicine’s most obstinate challenges. While mRNA was theoretically the most attractive way to achieve this, it was of little use as a therapy. This is because our immune system mistakes the foreign RNA as being an invading virus, mounting a powerful and toxic immune response. Injecting naked mRNA therefore can make you very sick.

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