13-10-2023 | 19:02 PM
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their research that enabled the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19
Key Highlights:
• mRNA stands for messenger RNA. It is a form of nucleic acid which carries genetic information.
• Like other vaccines, the mRNA vaccine also attempts to activate the immune system to produce antibodies that help counter an infection from a live virus.
• However, while most vaccines use weakened or dead bacteria or viruses to evoke a response from the immune system, mRNA vaccines only introduce a piece of the genetic material that corresponds to a viral protein. This is usually a protein found on the membrane of the virus and is called spike protein. Therefore, the mRNA vaccine does not expose individuals to the virus itself.
• However, a key challenge with mRNA vaccines is that they need to be frozen from -90 degree Celsius to -50 degree Celsius. They can be stored for up to two weeks in commercial freezers and need to be thawed at 2 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees Celsius at which they can remain for a month.
