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Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Published in Ken Addley, MCQs, MEQs and OSPEs in Occupational Medicine, 2023
Messenger RNA vaccines consist of genetic material (mRNA) that instructs the recipient’s antigen-presenting cells to make the identified antigen, thus stimulating an immune response against the virus. For SARS-CoV-2, which one of the following statements does NOT fit?
Taming the Enemy
Published in Norman Begg, The Remarkable Story of Vaccines, 2023
The second type of genetic vaccine is based on mRNA, the messenger of DNA. When injected, mRNA vaccines directly instruct the body to make antigen. Unlike DNA, RNA is unstable and gets broken down by your body soon after being injected. To prevent this from happening too quickly, it needs to be protected with something (often a lipid, which is a type of fat) before being injected. Even with this protective coat, the RNA only lasts a few hours, so it’s a race against time to make the antigen. Some types of mRNA vaccines use a trick of modifying the RNA so that it is able to multiply inside the cell, known as self-amplifying messenger RNA or SAM for short. Like DNA vaccines, mRNA vaccines produce a broad range of immune responses but are even easier to manufacture. Two of the earliest approved COVID-19 vaccines, from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, are mRNA-based.
An Overview of COVID-19 Treatment
Published in Hanadi Talal Ahmedah, Muhammad Riaz, Sagheer Ahmed, Marius Alexandru Moga, The Covid-19 Pandemic, 2023
Saffora Riaz, Farkhanda Manzoor, Dou Deqiang, Najmur Rahman
Vaccine prepared in the UK is a glycoprotein in nature and can be helpful to neutralize the adenovirus. Its use can be safe and develop the humoral response. Another excellent vaccination primers consolidate immunizer is RNA vaccination. It is a novel sort of immunizer where an RNA of a viral antigenic protein is implanted into individuals to create a safe response. The immune response of the synthesized RNA vaccine was disseminated after the innate viral progressions [79]. The use of mRNA inoculation development gives a specific advantage of fast headway over various antibodies due to its valuable natural ability to speedily change over into protein inside the cell (Table 14.1) [80].
The discovery and development of mRNA vaccines for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 2023
Vivian Weiwen Xue, Sze Chuen Cesar Wong, Bo Li, William Chi Shing Cho
In this review, we discuss the classification and characteristics of current mRNA vaccines for COVID-19. Additionally, we provide an overview of various delivery systems for COVID-19 vaccines, which play a crucial role in determining the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Furthermore, we summarize the potential risks and side effects of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and evaluate the optimization strategies based on current research. Since the production of mRNA vaccines was not fully developed prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, this pandemic has presented new challenges while also accelerating progress in the development of mRNA vaccines and other mRNA-based therapeutics. Therefore, we also discuss the difficulties and challenges that may arise in the design, production, and practical application of mRNA vaccines and the potential of mRNA therapeutics in combating viral epidemics in the future.
Microfluidic production of mRNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles for vaccine applications
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 2022
Carolina Lopes, Joana Cristóvão, Vânia Silvério, Paulo Roque Lino, Pedro Fonte
The concept behind RNA-vaccines is to deliver an mRNA encoding the desired protein to the cytoplasm of the target cells, where translation occurs, to stimulate the adaptive immune response (Figure 5). The main encoded proteins by mRNA vaccines are antigens [98]], neutralizing antibodies [99] and proteins with immunostimulatory activity [100]. The most important targets for mRNA vaccines are antigen-presenting cells (APCs), concentrated at high density in lymph nodes, with dendritic cells being the most relevant cell type. These transfected cells express the mRNA-encoded protein for recognition by certain lymphocytes such as T cells. Currently, there are two major forms of RNA-based vaccines: (1) non-replicating mRNA and (2) self-amplifying mRNA vaccines [8]. The advantage of the first form over the second is that non-replicating mRNA is smaller, simpler construct and lack any extra encoded proteins, which could trigger an unwanted immune response. In fact, self-amplifying mRNA is much larger than non-amplifying mRNA as it additionally encodes viral RNA polymerase for RNA replication leading to a dramatic decrease in the effective dose. mRNA vaccines can be used either for prophylactic vaccination for prevention of future infections or therapeutic vaccination for cancer immunotherapy. Only non-replicating mRNA vaccines are applied for cancer immunotherapies, while for infectious diseases, both forms can be used. Several preclinical trials of RNA-loaded LNPs obtained using microfluidics are reported in the literature (Table 1).
Unblinding the watchmaker: cancer treatment and drug design in the face of evolutionary pressure
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 2022
Sophia Konig, Hannah Strobel, Michael Grunert, Marcin Lyszkiewicz, Oliver Brühl, Georg Karpel-Massler, Natalia Ziętara, Katia La Ferla-Brühl, Markus D. Siegelin, Klaus-Michael Debatin, Mike-Andrew Westhoff
As both radio- and chemotherapy exhibit a limited specificity, which translates into considerable side effects, more complex therapeutic approaches are constantly being developed, such as targeted therapy, where a specific protein of the cancer cells is attacked with inhibitors or antibodies. This can either occur in the form of monotherapy, or as part of a complex combination therapy, where the aim of the targeted therapy is to break intrinsic tumor resistance. Examples of such an approach are the targeting of BCR-ABL fusion protein in therapy of chronic lymphatic leukemia (CLL) [43,44], or breast cancer with hormone receptor antagonists [45]. Another, newer example of targeted therapy is the use of RNA targeted therapeutics in various diseases [46]. A promising drug in this group is the antisense oligonucleotide Nusinersen for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, but cancer treatment with RNA targeting is also thought of in this rapidly advancing technology [47]. Targeting pyruvate kinase muscle isozyme 2 (PKM2), a key enzyme in aerobic glycolysis, and modulating its activity has also been shown to help control cancer [48]. And, of course, in this day and age one would be amiss not to point out that the RNA vaccine technology was initially developed for cancer treatment [49].