Difficulty Index ★★★★☆
Alice Yoo '27
The concept of mRNA vaccines was first introduced to the public with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. While regular vaccines function by introducing a weak or dead pathogen to the body, allowing the body to have an immune response, mRNA vaccines use a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA). The mRNA synthesizes proteins and transports the protein information from the cell’s nucleus to the cytoplasm. Ultimately, this helps the ribosomes be able to read the instructions and make proteins using DNA. In short, proteins are produced with translated versions of DNA, the mRNA.
The process of mRNA vaccines is more complicated than traditional vaccines. A piece of mRNA is injected into the recipient. It triggers the body’s immune system by commanding cells to make harmless proteins contained in the associated virus—these are called antigens. The viral proteins created under the instructions of mRNA attach to the cell’s outer membrane, acting as a signal for the body to create antibodies. These antibodies bolster the immune system by recognizing the antigens as alien and linking to them, finally destroying the antigens. The cool thing is that the body still keeps the antibodies even after defeating the pathogen so that the immune system can respond quickly when it recognizes the same virus in the body. Thus, it can also be referred to as the training process for potential infection in the future.
Let’s use a specific example with the famous Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. This vaccine consists of mRNA that has information about the spike proteins in the SARS-Cov-2 virus, a variant of the COVID-19 virus. Once it enters the cytoplasm of the body’s cells, the ribosomes create the spike proteins utilizing the mRNA. Then, the mRNA is eliminated while the spike protein is chopped into pieces for the immune system to respond. After the response, the body is trained to recognize the same virus when it invades the body another time. However, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has two doses because depending on the recipient, the first response in the immune system may not be strong enough. The second dose is to ensure that the body is trained enough to respond adequately to the virus once an infection occurs.
On an ending note, there is a bright future for mRNA vaccines. Compared to traditional vaccines, it is easier for mRNA vaccines to be produced and adjusted quickly, which is truly advantageous during a pandemic. It can adapt to different pathogens or variants simply by changing the mRNA in the vaccine. Therefore, the usage of mRNA vaccines for other infectious diseases such as Influenza and HIV being studied by researchers. In fact, at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers including Harvey Friedman developed an mRNA vaccine preventing genital herpes, HSV-2, which functioned successfully in an experiment with mice and guinea pigs. After 64 mice were exposed to the HSV-2 after the injection, 63 mice were seen to have sterilizing immunity—there were no signs of infection after the exposure. In the same experiment with ten guinea pigs, only two experienced evidence of infection without genital lesions, suggesting that the virus could not be transmitted.
With the flexibility and gleaming potential of the mRNA vaccine, researchers have been striving to study how mRNA vaccines can be applied to aiming cancer cells. As outstanding progress is being made, there is hope for numerous diseases to be countered with the innovation of mRNA vaccines.
Works Cited
Penn Medicine. "New Penn-Developed HSV-2 Vaccine Prevents Herpes in Mice, Guinea Pigs." Penn Medicine News, 20 Sept. 2019, www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2019/september/new-penn-developed-vaccine-prevents-herpes-in-mice-guinea-pigs. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.
Pfizer. "Harnessing the Potential of mRNA." Pfizer, www.pfizer.com/science/innovation/mrna-technology. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.
Sen, Shurjo K. "Messenger RNA (mRNA)." National Human Genome Research Institute, 17 Aug. 2024, www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/messenger-rna. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.
Sreenivas, Shishira. "How mRNA Technology Works." WebMD, 10 Mar. 2024, www.webmd.com/vaccines/ss/slideshow-mrna-technology. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.
UK Health Security Agency. "What Are mRNA Vaccines and How Do They Work?" Gov UK, 11 Mar. 2024, ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/03/11/what-are-mrna-vaccines-and-how-do-they-work/. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.
Wiles, Siouxsie. "Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris: How the Pfizer Vaccine for Covid-19 Works." The Spinoff, 24 Feb. 2021, thespinoff.co.nz/science/24-02-2021/siouxsie-wiles-toby-morris-how-the-pfizer-vaccine-for-covid-19-works. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.
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