09-24-2021, 10:12 PM
n the mid-2000s, Weissman and Karikó announced they'd discovered a way to modify mRNA so it didn't cause inflammation. It was a seemingly simple fix though it took years of painstaking research.
They replaced one of mRNA’s four chemical building blocks, a nucleoside called uridine, with a slightly modified nucleoside called pseudouridine. This enabled the mRNA to skirt the body's immune system.
Several years later, Weissman devised a method of packaging mRNA inside a lipid nanoparticle — a small bubble of oil — so that the molecule didn't fall apart as it traveled through the body. "We basically tested every possible delivery system and found this was the best," Weissman said.
In the late 2010s came several more major breakthroughs. The researchers used mRNA to immunize mice against genital h-erpes (which is caused by the h-erpes simplex virus), influenza, Zika and HIV.
They replaced one of mRNA’s four chemical building blocks, a nucleoside called uridine, with a slightly modified nucleoside called pseudouridine. This enabled the mRNA to skirt the body's immune system.
Several years later, Weissman devised a method of packaging mRNA inside a lipid nanoparticle — a small bubble of oil — so that the molecule didn't fall apart as it traveled through the body. "We basically tested every possible delivery system and found this was the best," Weissman said.
In the late 2010s came several more major breakthroughs. The researchers used mRNA to immunize mice against genital h-erpes (which is caused by the h-erpes simplex virus), influenza, Zika and HIV.