https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/05/1017366/messenger-rna-vaccines-covid-hiv/On December 23, as part of a publicity push to encourage people to get vaccinated against covid-19, the University of Pennsylvania released footage of two researchers who developed the science behind the shots, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, getting their inoculations. The vaccines, icy concoctions of fatty spheres and genetic instructions, used a previously unproven technology based on messenger RNA and had been built and tested in under a year, thanks to discoveries the pair made starting 20 years earlier.
In the silent promotional clip, neither one speaks or smiles as a nurse inserts the hypodermic into their arms. I later asked Weissman, who has been a physician and working scientist since 1987, what he was thinking in that moment. “I always wanted to develop something that helps people,” he told me. “When they stuck that needle in my arm, I said, ‘I think I’ve finally done it.’”
The technology may be applied to other viruses.Unlike traditional vaccines, which use live viruses, dead ones, or bits of the shells that viruses come cloaked into train the body’s immune system, the new shots use messenger RNA—the short-lived middleman molecule that, in our cells, conveys copies of genes to where they can guide the making of proteins.
In the near future, researchers believe, shots that deliver temporary instructions into cells could lead to vaccines against herpes and malaria, better flu vaccines, and, if the Covid-19 germ keeps mutating, updated Coronavirus vaccinations, too.
But researchers also see a future well beyond vaccines. They think the technology will permit cheap gene fixes for cancer, sickle-cell disease, and maybe even HIV.
Astronuc said:I would expect Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman to be awarded the Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
https://breakthroughprize.org/News/65September 9, 2021 – San Francisco – The Breakthrough Prize Foundation and its founding sponsors – Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki – today announced the winners of the 10th annual Breakthrough Prizes, awarding a total of $15.75 million to an esteemed group of laureates and early-career scientists.
The Breakthrough Prize recognizes groundbreaking discoveries in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics. The world’s largest science prize, each of the five main Breakthrough Prizes is $3 million. Traditionally celebrated during a live, televised awards ceremony that honors the laureates, this year’s program is postponed until 2022 due to the pandemic.
The scientific and medical response to Covid-19 has been unprecedented, and two of this year’s prizes are for breakthroughs that played a significant role in that response. The innovative vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna that have proven effective against the virus rely on decades of work by Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman. Convinced of the promise of mRNA therapies despite widespread skepticism, they created a technology that is not only vital in the fight against the Coronavirus today, but holds vast promise for future vaccines and treatments for a wide range of diseases including HIV, cancer, autoimmune and genetic diseases.
Me too. But we probably have different biases. I was at Texas where McClellan is (no, I didn't know him), whereas I'm guessing it's because he's in your field.Ygggdrasil said:Many Lasker prize winners go on to later win a Nobel Prize. Because the Nobel Prize can honor up to 3 individuals, I hope that Jason McClellan also gets awarded alongside Karikó and Weissman for his work on the structural biology of Coronavirus spike proteins (including devising a critical mutation on the spike protein that stabilizes the protein in the pre-fusion state; this mutation is used in all the mRNA vaccines).
That's a fair statement, I can't find any instances to cite altruism as the motivation to do this type of development. It does appear that saRNA / mRNA is going to be popular with Vaccine manufacturers, judging by the interest I'm seeing. I might be wrong but the Arcturus vaccine, from what I find is a combination of self-amplifying RNA and mRNA, for some reason that was problematic until recently.Tom.G said:(at this point they seem to be looking for folks to buy their stock)
It's very interesting that an mRNA vaccine can be made without this. If I understand correctly (not sure), this was the key contribution of Kariko and Weissman.Oldman too said:From: https://www.science.org/content/art...st-it-copies-itself-protects-against-covid-19
"Some researchers have cautioned that self-amplifying vaccines cannot use an mRNA modification that is key to the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines: the replacement of the natural RNA building block uridine with pseudouridine... "
Oldman too said:I might be wrong but the Arcturus vaccine, from what I find is a combination of self-amplifying RNA and mRNA, for some reason that was problematic until recently.
From: https://www.science.org/content/art...st-it-copies-itself-protects-against-covid-19
"Some researchers have cautioned that self-amplifying vaccines cannot use an mRNA modification that is key to the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines: the replacement of the natural RNA building block uridine with pseudouridine... "
atyy said:It's very interesting that an mRNA vaccine can be made without this. If I understand correctly (not sure), this was the key contribution of Kariko and Weissman.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2005.06.008
Suppression of RNA Recognition by Toll-like Receptors: The Impact of Nucleoside Modification and the Evolutionary Origin of RNA.
Karikó K, Buckstein M, Ni H, Weissman D.
Immunity. 2005 Aug;23(2):165-75. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2005.06.008.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a type of RNA molecule that carries genetic information from the DNA in the cell's nucleus to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm. It serves as a template for protein synthesis, carrying the instructions for making specific proteins.
mRNA works by transcribing the genetic information from DNA and carrying it to the ribosomes. The ribosomes then use the mRNA sequence to assemble amino acids into a specific protein. This process is known as translation.
Using mRNA in vaccines has several benefits. It is a faster and more efficient way to produce vaccines compared to traditional methods. It also allows for a more targeted immune response and does not require the use of live or weakened viruses, making it safer for individuals with weakened immune systems.
While mRNA vaccines have been extensively studied and have shown to be safe, there are some potential risks. These include allergic reactions, inflammation at the injection site, and rare cases of an immune response against the body's own tissues. However, these risks are minimal and are outweighed by the benefits of using mRNA vaccines.
Yes, mRNA technology has potential applications in various fields, such as gene therapy, cancer treatment, and regenerative medicine. It can also be used to produce proteins for therapeutic use, such as insulin for diabetes treatment. Research is ongoing to explore the full potential of mRNA in various medical and scientific fields.