This story was originally published in our January/February 2022 issue. Click here to subscribe to read more stories like this one.
The development of the mRNA vaccine — a breakthrough in its field, instructing cells to produce their own protection without the risk of giving someone the virus — was fast and furious, made possible through rapid genome sequencing.
But its origins go back to the late 1980s, when Kati Kariko, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, began experimenting with placing mRNA (m stands for messenger) into cells to instruct them to produce new proteins, even if those cells had been previously unable to do so. Eventually, Kariko also discovered that pseudouridine, a molecule of human tRNA (t stands for transfer), could help a vaccine evade an immune response when added to the mRNA –– laying the groundwork for a first-of-its-kind antidote that helped save hundreds of thousands of ...
