The vaccines of messenger RNAwhich arose with the crisis of the Covid-19 and which this Monday earned the Nobel Prize in Medicine for researchers Katalin Karikó (Hungary) and Drew Weissman (United States), marked the highest point of a therapeutic revolution.
A revolution that could also be used against AIDS and some types of cancer, after decades of research and several obstacles.
How does it work?
Messenger RNA is present in all cells, it is what allows them to function correctly in the body. It acts as an intermediary between the genetic code of DNA and the activity of the cell.
More specifically, messenger RNA is a temporary copy of a small part of DNA that is constantly present in the nucleus of the cell. The cell uses this copy as code to produce specific proteins.
Through a messenger RNA treatment, these genetic code fragments are inserted from the outside. Therefore, they are created artificially in the laboratory, and not from DNA.
Until now, the main application has been vaccination against Covid-19, a field in which there are two well-known companies: Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
These vaccines induce cells to reproduce proteins present in the virus, the “antigens”to familiarize the immune system to recognize and neutralize it.
A classic vaccine also seeks to familiarize the body with a virus (or other infectious agents), but it does so by directly introducing the virus into the body, in an attenuated or inactive form (although some more recent vaccines only inject the virus’s antigens).
The messenger RNA vaccine revolution lies in making cells directly produce these antigens. As with other vaccines, the immune system then reacts, generating antibodies.
The main stages of this new method
The first major breakthrough, in the late 1970s, was the use of messenger RNA to make cells in test tubes produce proteins.
A decade later, scientists managed to obtain the same results with mice, but messenger RNA still had two major disadvantages as a medical tool.
First, the cells of living animals resisted the synthetic messenger RNA, triggering a dangerous immune response.
Additionally, messenger RNA molecules are fragile, making it difficult to deliver them to the system without altering them.
In 2005, Kariko and Weissman of Pennsylvania State University published a groundbreaking study showing that an envelope of lipids, or fat molecules, could safely deliver messenger RNA without negative effects.
The research caused a stir in the pharmaceutical community and startups dedicated to messenger RNA therapies began to emerge around the world.
Other apps
The scientific community has worked to develop messenger RNA vaccines for diseases such as influenza, rabies and Zika, as well as those that have been resistant to vaccines until now, including malaria and HIV/AIDS.
Additionally, researchers have begun testing personalized treatments in cancer patients, using samples of the proteins present in their tumors to create specialized messenger RNA.
This causes the immune system to attack specific cancer cells.
“The messenger RNA platform is versatile”said Norbert Pardi, a biochemist at the University of Pennsylvania. “Any protein can be encoded as messenger RNA, so there are many potential applications.”
Source: AFP
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
