Introduction
mRNA technologies are not new – human trials of cancer vaccines using the same mRNA technology as in the COVID-19 vaccines have been taking place since at least 2011. While this helps raise confidence, time and analysis is needed to answer such questions as:
- what quantities of mRNA are required
- whether the correct proteins were chosen
- if these vaccines will be able to mount a sufficiently protective immunal response
- how effective these vaccines will be in guiding the immune system in detecting variants
- how long immunity will last
- what are the possible side-effects (such as increased inflammatory responses or aggravating disease)
It is clear that mRNA solutions are still maturing. I read that in the case of COVID-19 there simply wasn’t enough time for lengthy clinical trials – and also that it will require years of clinical study in human trials to improve accuracy and determine all possible side-effects. I offer a couple of supporting articles published on Nature, here and here.
Benefits of mRNA vaccines
- Safety: Compared with live-attenuated (live weakened virus) or viral-vectored (live virus) vaccines, mRNA is non-infectious (no live virus present).
- Reduced chemical count: Other strategies such as protein-based or inactivated vaccines require additional chemicals. mRNA does not require inactivation (no live virus) and thus does not pose any concerns regarding possible contamination with toxic agents.
- Time to manufacture: Traditional vaccine manufacturing methods require many steps in the manufacturing process (manufacturing cell cultures, etc.) – whereas mRNA requires less steps.
- Usage: There are many benefits in approaching the adjustment of an person’s immune system using mRNA technology – like awaking the body to certain cancers that it would not have noticed before, Ebola, Zika virus, influenza, and etc.. And theoretically, mRNA technology could produce proteins missing in certain diseases, like cystic fibrosis.
Read the next section, “mRNA Vaccine Rollout“.