Medicine Nobel 2023 goes to duo who paved the way for mRNA COVID vaccines

Source: The post is based on the article “Medicine Nobel 2023 goes to duo who paved the way for mRNA COVID vaccines” published in “The Hindu” on 3rd October 2023.

What is the News?

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their research that enabled the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

What are mRNA vaccines?

Source: BBC

mRNA stands for messenger RNA.It is a form of nucleic acid which carries genetic information.

Like other vaccines, the mRNA vaccine also attempts to activate the immune system to produce antibodies that help counter an infection from a live virus. 

However, while most vaccines use weakened or dead bacteria or viruses to evoke a response from the immune system, mRNA vaccines only introduce a piece of the genetic material that corresponds to a viral protein.This is usually a protein found on the membrane of the virus and is called spike protein. Therefore, the mRNA vaccine does not expose individuals to the virus itself.

However, a key challenge with mRNA vaccines is that they need to be frozen from -90 degree Celsius to -50 degree Celsius. They can be stored for up to two weeks in commercial freezers and need to be thawed at 2 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees Celsius at which they can remain for a month. 

What work did Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman do for mRNA vaccines?

Source: Hindustan Times

A significant obstacle in the development of mRNA vaccines was early prototypes of  synthetic mRNAs provoked inflammatory reactions making them unsuitable for medical use.

However, Karikó and Weissman found that by making slight chemical adjustments to the mRNA molecules, they could eliminate these inflammatory reactions and significantly boost the production of the desired protein.

This breakthrough became the basis for the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

What is the potential of mRNA technology beyond Covid-19?

Early studies suggest mRNA technology shows promise as a treatment for cancers, including melanoma and pancreatic cancer.

Other avenues of ongoing mRNA research include exploring a new avenue to treat autoimmune diseases.And mRNA technology is also being checked out as a possible alternative to gene therapy for intractable conditions such as sickle cell disease.