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It looks increasingly plausible that the same weapons we’ll use to defeat Covid-19 can also vanquish even grimmer reapers — including cancer, which kills almost 10 million people a year http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
The most promising Covid vaccines use nucleic acids called mRNA.
They instruct the body to create the same proteins that wrap around the viral RNA of SARS-CoV-2. The immune system then familiarizes itself with the proteins ahead of potential infection http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
They instruct the body to create the same proteins that wrap around the viral RNA of SARS-CoV-2. The immune system then familiarizes itself with the proteins ahead of potential infection http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
This is mRNA’s bigger promise: It can tell our cells to make whatever protein we want.
That includes the antigens of many other diseases besides Covid-19 http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
That includes the antigens of many other diseases besides Covid-19 http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
In its day-to-day function, mRNA takes instructions from the DNA in our cell nuclei.
Stretches of the genome are copied, which the mRNA carries into the cytoplasm, where little cellular factories called ribosomes use the information to churn out proteins http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
Stretches of the genome are copied, which the mRNA carries into the cytoplasm, where little cellular factories called ribosomes use the information to churn out proteins http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
BioNTech and Moderna shortcut this process by first figuring out what protein they want.
Then they look at the sequence of amino acids that makes this protein. From that they derive the precise instructions the mRNA must give http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
Then they look at the sequence of amino acids that makes this protein. From that they derive the precise instructions the mRNA must give http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
This process can be relatively fast, which is why it took less than a year to make the vaccines, a pace previously unimaginable.
It’s also genetically safe — mRNA can’t go back into the nucleus and accidentally insert genes into our DNA http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
It’s also genetically safe — mRNA can’t go back into the nucleus and accidentally insert genes into our DNA http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
To kill a malignant tumor today, you generally zap it with radiation or chemicals, damaging lots of other healthy tissue in the process.
The better way would be to train the immune systems of individual patients against each genetically-unique tumor http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
The better way would be to train the immune systems of individual patients against each genetically-unique tumor http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
That’s a perfect job for mRNA:
Find the antigen
Get its fingerprint
Reverse-engineer the cellular instructions to target the culprit
Let the body do the rest
http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
Find the antigenGet its fingerprintReverse-engineer the cellular instructions to target the culpritLet the body do the resthttp://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
Take a look at the pipelines of Moderna and BioNTech. They include drug trials for cancers of the:
Breast
Prostate
Skin
Pancreas
Brain
Lung
As well as vaccines against everything from influenza to Zika and rabies http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
BreastProstate Skin PancreasBrainLungAs well as vaccines against everything from influenza to Zika and rabies http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
Progress, admittedly, has been slow. That’s partly because investors in this sector must put up oodles of capital and then wait for more than a decade, first for the trials, then for regulatory approvals.
In the past, too few were in the mood http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
In the past, too few were in the mood http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
Covid-19 may turbo-charge all these processes. The pandemic has led to a grand debut of mRNA vaccines and their definitive proof of concept.
mRNA should have no problems getting money, attention or enthusiasm — from investors, regulators and policymakers http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
mRNA should have no problems getting money, attention or enthusiasm — from investors, regulators and policymakers http://trib.al/7GO3Z0X
