The Magic of mRNA Will Push Medical Advances for Everyone

upstart writes:

The Magic of mRNA Will Push Medical Advances for Everyone:

mRNA is one of the first molecules of life. While identified six decades ago as the carrier of the blueprint for proteins in living cells, its pharmaceutical potential was long underestimated. mRNA appeared unpromising-too unstable, too weak in potency, and too inflammatory.

The successful development of the first mRNA vaccines against Covid-19 in 2020 was an unprecedented achievement in the history of medicine. That success was built on iterative progress over decades, driven by the independent contributions of scientists around the world.

We fell in love with mRNA in the '90s because of its versatility, its ability to stimulate the immune system, and its safety profile-after fulfilling its biological task, the molecule completely degrades, leaving no trace in the body. We discovered ways to exponentially improve the properties of mRNA, increasing its stability and efficacy, as well as the ability to deliver it to the right immune cells in the body. That progress allowed us to create effective mRNA vaccines that, when administered in small amounts to humans, elicit powerful immune responses. Moreover, we established rapid, scalable processes to manufacture new vaccine candidates for clinical application within weeks. The result was mRNA's breakthrough in the fight against Covid-19.

The potential of mRNA vaccines goes beyond the coronavirus. We now want to use this technology to tackle two of the world's oldest and deadliest pathogens: malaria and tuberculosis. Worldwide, there are around 10 million new cases of tuberculosis every year. For malaria, the medical need is even higher: about 230 million malaria cases have been reported in the WHO Africa region in 2020, with most deaths occurring among children under 5.

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