Quoting as found, perhaps some here will have the knowledge base to
confirm or refute:
mRNA as a process is well understood and not new. mRNA as a mode of
immunogenic antigen expression is cleaner than previous vaccine tech.
It may seemed rushed, but it wasn't in terms of creating the vaccine.
Lots of work was already done on SARS-CoV-1 and MERS. Unlike previous
vaccines, this one was made in the modern era where the entire viral
genome was fully genetically sequenced and sent to labs world wide via
email in January. No other vaccine push in history has had so many labs,
so many companies, and so much effort and resources dumped into it
putting everything else on the back burner. There are FIFTY EIGHT
vaccines for COVID in various stages of testing! The mRNA vaccines are
out first because they take the least effort to get right and put in
testing. It really only takes a few days of work to decide on the sub
sequence from the viral genome to build the mRNA that will cause the
desired antigen. It is actually much simpler to do this than older
vaccine development methods. Phase I/II/III testing looks like other
vaccines, except more expansive. The only difference is the EUA during
phase III after excellent studies with ongoing results showing great
efficacy and safety were evaluated in the setting of a pandemic.
mRNA vaccines have been in the pipeline for 30 years.
The limit on the technology has always been the molecule stability
(exonuclease and endonuclease degradation of RNA) and the ability to
package it in a way the gets inside a cell (delivery).
The former is addressed by modifying the phosphodiester linkage (the
means of linking one nucleoside to the next) to a phosphorothioate
linkage (Sulfur replacing one of the Oxygens) that is poorly recognized
by nuclease enzymes, and it turns out mRNA is more stable than
previously thought. The latter by encapsulation or association of the
mRNA with lipid nanoparticles.
There were mRNA vaccines developed but not needed so they weren't pushed
further. mRNA cancer treatments did go through trials and they were
safe, just not effective enough because it was before the tech we have
now.
Luckily, now we have good safety and efficacy data on these mRNA
vaccines.
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