What is an mRNA Vaccine?

mRNA vaccines have recently been in the news as an exciting potential preventative of SARS-CoV2.  The technology seems new, but has roots in the 1990’s and a long history of maturation, plagued by technical barriers and skepticism.  However, the efficacy demonstrated in clinical trials is promising, and suggests that mRNA-based strategies may have a prominent role as vaccines and therapeutics against some of our most insidious diseases.
 
Resources for this podcast:
Hilleman 1994 – a conceptual review of the potential for mRNA vaccines, predicing many of its challenges.
Kariko et al, 2005 –  This paper contains information on how mRNA may be modified to limit its inherent antigenic activity.
Schlake et al., 2012 –  A very good primer to the history and theory of mRNA vaccine development.

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The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.