mrna stse

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
2023 and the Role of mRNA Vaccines
The article I chose describes how the Nobel Prize in

Physiology or Medicine for the year 2023 has been awarded
to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their outstanding
research which opened doors to the development of mRNA
vaccines. The primary focus of their research was on the
major challenges that hitherto inhibited the use of synthetic
mRNA in the field of medicine including ensuring stability,
efficient delivery, and minimizing inflammation caused by
unmodified mRNA. Their contributions starting in the ’90s
formed the groundwork that was critical for the rapid
development of mRNA vaccines in the period 2020 to 2022
during the COVID-19 pandemic which helped save millions of
lives across the globe.
How mRNA vaccines work

mRNA vaccines are an exciting new approach in vaccination.
Instead of using a live, attenuated, or inactivated virus,
mRNA vaccines contain synthetic strands of messenger RNA.
These mRNA strands are protected in lipid nanoparticle
carriers, preventing them from degradation and making it
easier for them to penetrate human cells. Within the cells,
mRNA can be used to synthesize the SARS-CoV-2 spike
protein, an important antigen that enables the immune
response to be produced. This immune response includes T-
cells and antibodies, “educating” the body to recognize and
respond to the real virus.
This approach is efficient because it uses the body's own
cellular machinery to generate the target antigen, bypassing
the need for complex virus cultivation and purification
processes.
Differences from Traditional Vaccines

The antigens have to be delivered to the body in accordance
with traditional vaccines, which is why the production
procedure usually entails hefty manufacturing work such as
growing a virus in culture or extracting proteins. Not only do
such procedures take an awful lot of time but they are also
often susceptible to supply chain issues. In contrast:
- Promethus stem cell vaccines – refer to the genetic

construct which was designed in a laboratory and that
construct is used to create the what bacteria is known as the
vaccine substance, it’s easier to create.
- They may be ready in record time to counter new strains or

new infections because they use genetic information of a
pathogen instead of the entire organism.
- There are traditional ways that usually allow the target

antigen to be provided to the body in the form of a killed
virus or protein, while mRNA targets the mechanisms which
are responsible for producing the antigen, making the
approach safer and more efficient.
Societal Implications
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have played a breakthrough role
since the outbreak of the pandemic. According to clinical
trials, they proved to be effective against severe cases of the
disease at a rate close to 95% which has lowered the rates of
hospitalization and mortality. Their scalability enabled the
administration of billions of doses across the world which was
a key factor in easing the burden and opening up societies
again.
But the horizons of mRNA technologies are not limited to

COVID-19 only as there are possibilities of bivalent vaccines
against influenza, HIV, and even cancer therapies. It also
changed the paradigm of vaccine encodings that are likely to
facilitate quick deployment in case of any future outbreaks of
infectious diseases.
Bonus:
Global Appreciation
The discoveries of the Nobel Prize are proof of the fact that
from the world of pure science, ideas can be developed that
become a revolution in public health. If we will take the work
of Karikó and Weissman, we will see how centuries of
continuous investigation and joint efforts may result in finding
solutions that are profoundly beneficial for human beings.
Reference
The Nobel Prize Organization. (2023). Press release: The
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2023/press-
release/

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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

2023 and the Role of mRNA Vaccines

The article I chose describes how the Nobel Prize in

How mRNA vaccines work

Differences from Traditional Vaccines

- Promethus stem cell vaccines – refer to the genetic

- They may be ready in record time to counter new strains or

- There are traditional ways that usually allow the target

But the horizons of mRNA technologies are not limited to

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