2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine

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2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine

2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine

News: Recently, The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their research enabling the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

What is mRNA?
• mRNA stands for “messenger RNA.” It is a molecule that carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosomes in cells, where it is used as a template for protein synthesis.

What are mRNA vaccines?
• mRNA vaccines are a type of vaccine that uses messenger RNA (mRNA) to instruct cells in the body to produce a specific viral protein, such as the spike protein of a COVID-19 virus. This protein triggers an immune response, helping the body build immunity against the virus.
• mRNA vaccines do not contain live or weakened viruses, making them safe and effective tools for preventing infectious diseases like COVID-19.

Comparison of mRNA and DNA Vaccine

Aspect	mRNA	DNA
How They Work	mRNA vaccines deliver the genetic instructions (mRNA) directly to the cells in the body, which then produce the viral protein to stimulate an immune response	DNA vaccines use small, circular DNA molecules (plasmids) that carry a gene from a virus or bacterium. The plasmid enters the cell nucleus where it is converted into mRNA. The mRNA then moves to the cytoplasm where it is used to produce the viral protein, stimulating an immune response
Production of Viral Protein	mRNA vaccines are one step ahead of DNA vaccines as they directly provide the mRNA for protein synthesis	DNA vaccines need to enter the cell nucleus and be converted into mRNA before protein synthesis can occur
Stability	mRNA vaccines require very low temperatures for storage	DNA vaccines are stable at room temperature, making them more promising for rapidly immunizing populations, especially in resourcelimited settings.
Immune Response	mRNA vaccines produce a strong immune response.	DNA vaccines produce a lower immune response than mRNA vaccines.
Examples	Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA-based	Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D vaccine; Covishield (by Serum and Oxford) use DNA wrapped in another virus, which then instructs cells to make the spike protein.

What are the contributions of Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman?
• Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman made important contributions to the development of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccine).
• Previous to Katalin and Weissman’s findings, labgrown genetically engineered mRNA was recognized as foreign by the body’s dendritic cells (Nerve Cells), leading to unwanted inflammatory reactions.
• Kariko and Weissman realized that RNA from mammalian cells is often chemically modified, whereas lab-created mRNA lacks these modifications. They hypothesized that modifying the bases in lab-created mRNA could reduce the inflammatory response. Their experiments confirmed this hypothesis, with base modifications significantly reducing inflammation when introduced to dendritic cells.
• These discoveries, first published in 2005 and further developed in 2008 and 2010, laid the foundation for mRNA vaccine technology.
• Their work not only revolutionized vaccine technology but also has the potential for broader applications in treating diseases and delivering therapeutic proteins.