Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Explained: Why RNA vaccines for Covid-19 raced to the front of the pack

Recommendable! Good overview!

"Developing and testing a new vaccine typically takes at least 12 to 18 months. However, just over 10 months after the genetic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was published, two pharmaceutical companies applied for FDA emergency use authorization of vaccines that appear to be highly effective against the virus. ...
Once the viral sequences were revealed in January, it took just days for pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer, along with its German partner BioNTech, to generate mRNA vaccine candidates. ...
Instead of delivering a virus or a viral protein, RNA vaccines deliver genetic information that allows the body’s own cells to produce a viral protein. Synthetic mRNA that encodes a viral protein can borrow this machinery to produce many copies of the protein. These proteins stimulate the immune system to mount a response, without posing any risk of infection. "

Explained: Why RNA vaccines for Covid-19 raced to the front of the pack | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Many years of research have enabled scientists to quickly synthesize RNA vaccines and deliver them inside cells.

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