Abstract
mRNA vaccines have amassed a strong interest from scientists and nonscientists alike for their potential in treating cancer and curbing the spread of infectious diseases. Their success has been bolstered by the COVID-19 pandemic as mRNA vaccines for the SARS-CoV-2 virus showed unrivaled efficiency and success. The strategy relies on the delivery of an RNA transcript that carries the sequence of an antigenic molecule into the body’s cells where the antigen is manufactured. The lack of use of infectious pathogens and the fact that they are made of nucleic acids render these vaccines a favorable alternative to other vaccination modalities. However, mRNA vaccination still suffers from a great deal of hurdles starting from their safety, cellular delivery, uptake and response to their manufacturing, logistics and storage. In this review, we examine the premise of RNA vaccination starting from their conceptualization to their clinical applications. We also thoroughly discuss the advances in the field of RNA vaccination for infectious diseases. Finally, we discuss the challenges impeding their progress and shed light on potential areas of research in the field.
Highlights
RNA vaccines have become the frontline warriors in combating the COVID-19 pandemic
MRNA vaccine development is often times hindered by a plethora of challenges starting from their large size, intrinsic instability and vulnerability to enzymatic degradation in addition to strict temperature requirements to maintain stability
Logistical and policy dilemmas: affordability, fair distribution in various countries, priority of professional individuals, dosage, vaccine hesitancy, repeat doses, and prohibitive costs stand as provocateurs for these vaccines to find its way smoothly to the public
Summary
RNA vaccines have become the frontline warriors in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. they caught the world’s attention with millions of people hearing about them for the first time, RNA vaccines are not unheard of. After 30 years of being nascent, interest has grown in these vaccines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic due to a myriad of features, including their versatility—they could be tailored to fit the antigen of any infectious pathogen. RNA vaccines were still at the preclinical or clinical stages only until Pfizer/BioNTech (New York, New York; Mainz, Germany) and Moderna (Cambridge, Massachusetts) took their candidate mRNA vaccines: BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 from bench to market This was only after preliminary results of phase III clinical trials showed that these vaccines elicited immune responses with efficacy reaching up to 95% against COVID-19, indicating that this state-of-the-art technology could be promising and possessing potential for low-cost manufacturing with demonstrated safety, well-tolerability and immunogenicity [2,3]. Prior to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, RNA vaccines were being developed to prevent infectious diseases such as influenza, zika, HIV, chikungunya, rabies and cytomegalovirus [4]
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