Resources Going to mRNA after COVID-19 Success

 

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

The success of COVID-19 vaccines² based on messenger RNA (mRNA) is increasing the use of the new technology on other medical treatments. And scientists say that mRNA could possibly target diseases that do not respond to other drugs.

Last December, the United States Food and Drug Administration and European health agencies approved the first two coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. They both used mRNA to develop the vaccines in record time. Health officials also found the two vaccines to be safe and 95 percent effective against COVID-19. This is well above the requirement to be considered for emergency use.

The mRNA technology is often likened to the operating system on a computer. It permits drug makers³ to change their target by putting new genetic⁵ code into a manufactured form of mRNA.

In the coronavirus vaccine¹, the code gives instructions for our cells to make what is called the "spike⁶ protein," a substance found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. The cell then breaks down the instructions and gets rid of them. The human body recognizes that the protein does not belong there and starts producing antibodies to fight against COVID-19. At the end of the process, the body learns how to protect against future infection.

More money coming to mRNA development

Glenn Hunzinger is with the firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. He told Reuters news agency, "There is more attention and focus on mRNA now that it has proven to be a technology that works."

During the pandemic, more than $5.2 billion was invested in companies that were developing mRNA vaccines and other treatments. This amount is up from $596 million from 2019. These numbers come from the research firm Roots Analysis.

Roots Analysis say over 150 mRNA vaccines and treatments are in development around the world. Most are still in early animal testing. And more than 30 have reached human testing.

Most of last year's money went to COVID-19 projects. But this also permitted companies to research other diseases. For example, Moderna is working on treatments for heart disease, cancer, and rare diseases. Its most advanced non-COVID program is a vaccine for cytomegalovirus, the leading cause of birth defects in the U.S.

mRNA could be difficult to work with

However, mRNA can be very difficult to work with. This makes future successes with treatments uncertain.

Dr. Drew Weissman is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. He and Hungarian-born scientist Katalin Karikó are credited with an important discovery in 2005 that enables the use of mRNA technology in medicine.

At the time, mRNA was difficult to work with and not approved for medical treatment. When they injected lab mice with the genetic material, some died. The two then replaced one of mRNA's four chemical building blocks with a slightly modified substance called pseudouridine in order to get it past the body's defenses.

Instructions from mRNA are brief and non-specific about where in the body it goes. This works well when telling cells to make a harmless substance to force the production of antibodies against the virus.

It is more difficult to send those orders to a specific tissue, like the lungs or heart muscle. This requires different delivery methods to protect the somewhat weak mRNA molecule⁷.

Translate Bio is a Massachusetts-based company working on an mRNA treatment for cystic fibrosis, a life-shortening lung disease. People with this disease cannot produce protein to fight lung infections and other serious health issues.

The drug-maker aims to become the first company to bring an mRNA drug to market. Last week, Translate Bio released some results from its ongoing⁸ drug trials. The results showed no clear improvement among patients receiving the experimental drug.

Most drugs treat the effects of the disease. However, "mRNA is in the business of replacing what's missing," said Joe Payne. He is the head of Arcturus. That company is currently working to develop mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 and influenza⁹, as well as medicines for liver disease and cystic fibrosis.

What's next for mRNA?

With FDA acceptance of the vaccines, experts say top scientists are also moving to the field of mRNA study.

Karikó now works for BioNTech. She supervises development of its mRNA product. And Weissman said 20 companies working in the field of mRNA have asked him to join their boards of directors.

Words in This Story

focus – n. a main purpose or interest

genetic code – biology n. the arrangement of chemical groups within the genes¹⁰ which specify¹¹ particular kinds of amino acids used to make proteins

instruction – n. an order or command

immune response – medical n. a bodily response to an antigen that occurs when lymphocytes identify the antigenic molecule as foreign and induce the formation of antibodies and lymphocytes capable of reacting with it and rendering¹² it harmless

birth defect – n. a physical or biochemical defect that is present at birth and may be inherited or environmentally induced

delivery – n. the transfer of something from one place or person to another

mutation¹³ – n. a change in a gene⁴ or the resulting new trait it produces in an individual

replace – v. to be used instead of (something)

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

5 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

6 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

7 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

10 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

11 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

12 rendering   

n.表现，描写

参考例句：

• She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。

13 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。