The term “mRNA” only entered the average household in the past few months, as Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech released their COVID-19 vaccines. But a handful of scientists have spent decades studying this novel approach to immunization. By the start of the pandemic the technology was already so advanced that, when Chinese researchers published the genetic sequence for the coronavirus in mid-January, Moderna was able to concoct a vaccine within 48 hours. Clinical trials began a matter of weeks after that. In nine months, the world was well on its way to viral security.
It was a stunning debut for mRNA — shorthand for messenger ribonucleic acid, DNA’s sidekick — which had long ranked as a promising but unproven treatment. After this encouraging success, its proponents predict an equally impressive future. They have always believed in mRNA’s ability to protect against not only the likes of coronavirus, but also a host of deadly diseases that resist traditional vaccines, from malaria to HIV to cancer. In 2018, long before the past year’s confidence-boosting display, a group of researchers announced “a new era in vaccinology.”
It remains to be seen whether mRNA will live up to the hype. With concrete results attesting to its potential, though, interest is growing among investors and researchers alike. It helps that regulatory agencies and the public are familiar with it now, too, says Yale immunologist Rick Bucala. “That has really changed the landscape.”
