![]() Potentially, a universal vaccine could protect against multiple strains of flu, while protecting against the coronavirus at the same time. It’s tricky to predict exactly which mRNA vaccines might be the next to make it into health clinics. It’s an exciting time for mRNA vaccine technology, and vaccines for plenty of infectious diseases are currently making their way through clinical trials. ![]() In theory, we could make mRNA for pretty much any protein-and potentially target any infectious disease. Trained-up immune cells play an important role, too. In the case of covid-19, this is thought to be largely due to the production of antibodies-proteins that protect us against infections. The idea is that once your immune system has been exposed to such a protein, it is better placed to mount a strong response should it ever encounter the virus itself. “You put in cells, and half an hour later, they are already producing the protein,” she says. The vaccines are cheap, quick, and easy to make, says Katalin Karikó, an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has pioneered research into the use of mRNA for vaccines. The mRNA itself is packaged up in lipid nanoparticles-tiny little envelopes that help it survive the journey into your body. In the case of covid-19 vaccines, the code is for the spike protein found on the outer shell of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes the disease. ![]() The lab-made mRNA used in vaccines can code for a specific protein-one that we’d like to train our immune systems to recognize. Messenger RNA itself is a strand of genetic code that can be read by your DNA and used to make proteins. And many other companies and academic labs are getting in on the action. Both companies are working on treatments for cancer. BioNTech, which partnered with Pfizer on the other approved mRNA-based covid-19 vaccine, is exploring vaccines for tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, shingles, and flu. Moderna, the biotech company behind one of the two approved mRNA vaccines for covid-19, is developing mRNA vaccines for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), HIV, Zika, Epstein-Barr virus, and more.
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