Once seen as experimental, the mRNA tech that has enabled us to quickly develop covid-19 vaccines could also be used to tackle other stubborn diseases
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mRNAs are essentially genetically coded recipes that tell cells in our body how to make proteins, the large molecules that form most of the machinery of life. In the case of mRNA vaccines, the mRNAs code for viral proteins that provoke an immune response.Advertisement This success has given a big boost to efforts to develop other mRNA vaccines for everything from cancers to herpes. But mRNAs can code for just about any protein, so the same basic technology might also allow us to develop all kinds of treatments.
Moderna is also working with drug firm AstraZeneca on another mRNA therapy, this time to get cells to make a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor. VEGF stimulates the growth of blood vessels, so this treatment, codenamed AZD8601, could be used for everything from wounds that won’t heal to heart disease.
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