What is the 'mRNA' used in the new corona vaccine, what can and cannot be done?



Vaccines that are expected to have a preventive effect on the new corona are called

'messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines' that utilize the genetic information transmitted by the virus. Derek Lowe, who has been involved in drug discovery projects at multiple pharmaceutical companies, explains what this ' mRNA ' is, what kind of application it is suitable for, and what it is not good at.

What mRNA is Good For, And What It Maybe Isn't | In the Pipeline
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/06/29/what-mrna-is-good-for-and-what-it-maybe-isnt

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, an mRNA vaccine is made by injecting a part of the information that is the basis for making a protein of a virus to make an antibody against the protein and immunize against the virus. Compared to inactivated vaccines and live vaccines , mRNA that can be produced if genetic information is obtained does not require detailed research on the virus, so it can be developed quickly without a long research period, and inheritance. It is said that it is excellent in that complicated processes such as culture and detoxification can be omitted only with information. The new coronavirus vaccines of American pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna are vaccines that use this mRNA.



According to Rowe, Moderna wasn't originally a vaccine developer, but used mRNA for treatment. There are some important differences between the use of mRNA as a vaccine and the use of it therapeutically, and the treatment conveys a specific protein to a specific cell rather than the acquisition of immunity as a preventive measure, so many uses can be considered and realized at the same time. Is accompanied by many difficulties.

Moderna, which succeeded in developing a new corona vaccine, announced that it will develop an 'HIV vaccine' --GIGAZINE



One of the problems with therapeutic mRNA is that it is difficult to enable a protection period of months to years with short-term vaccination like immunity because it is different from the form that utilizes the memory provided by the immune system. It is in. Therefore, in order to continue to supply the target protein to the target cells, it is necessary to continue to administer mRNA once a day or once a week, and experiments are required to know how often it is appropriate. I will.

The second problem, says Rowe, lies in the 'non-immune-driven' part. Attempts to treat cells with mRNA were thought to take advantage of mechanisms that are not immune responses. However, foreign mRNAs strongly provoke an immune response, so the sequence of generating long-term adaptive immunity without getting caught in the short-term innate immune system must be carefully and carefully designed. Ingestion of mRNA protein from the outside can cause an unexpected immune response, which may lead to allergic symptoms, myocarditis, and anaphylaxis. “MRNA technology is not a magical path to effectiveness,” says Rowe.

Rowe's 'most serious and comprehensive problem' regarding the use of mRNA for treatment is that it is necessary to identify what diseases can be treated by expressing specific proteins. .. There are many things that can be identified, but there are also many diseases that have no clue. For genetic diseases, the genetic approach may have significant advantages because it can alleviate symptoms by producing the appropriate protein instead of the less capable protein. However, there are still few viable uses as a treatment for the required proteins and cell functions, Rowe said.

What is happening in the 'new corona vaccine supply chain'? --GIGAZINE



The use of mRNA as a vaccine aims at the memory function of the immune system to produce lasting and durable immune protection through a short series of injections. Overall, it is said to be the 'most solid bet,' although there are cases where the immune response is unsuccessful and it is difficult to find an effective antigen for immunization.



Discovering markers of where to target pathogens, finding good antigen candidates for that purpose, and how to select candidates in the real world rather than in theory. Problems can be quite difficult to study, as mistakes can have catastrophic consequences. It seems that it is difficult to develop large-scale clinical trials, whether it is treatment with mRNA or vaccine based on immune response.

mRNA-based technology has many powers and possibilities. Among them, vaccines for infectious diseases are close to achievement, Roh said. In the future, it will take some time to overcome many difficulties, but it is expected that mRNA technology will play an active role and develop in a wide range of fields such as cancer vaccine fields.

Three mRNA vaccines that are expected to appear in the future, such as 'cancer vaccine' --GIGAZINE



in Science, Posted by log1e_dh