Just as in battle, the timely delivery of a coded message can change the course of a disease. Few drug classes have garnered more recent attention than mRNA therapies. By harnessing a cell’s translational machinery to produce therapeutic or antigenic proteins, these molecules promise to greatly accelerate the development and deployment of new drugs and vaccines. As an example, consider the current COVID-19 pandemic, where two of the most advanced vaccine candidates are based on mRNA technology, with several more are in earlier stages.
- How they could treat genetic diseases and cancer
- The challenges associated with delivery and dosage
- How to avoid an unwanted immune response
