The coronavirus vaccine will be ready in the fall: who will receive it

Several experimental vaccines against COVID-19 are currently undergoing clinical trials. Moderna, the mRNA-1273 vaccine manufacturer, says their vaccine against the new COVID-19 coronavirus might be available this fall for a select group of people. Writes about it Medium.

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The first phase of mRNA-1273 testing began in early March. This experimental vaccine targets proteins on the external structure of a coronavirus. The vaccine works by introducing synthetic mRNA sequences in patients. These molecules allow the host system to translate them into proteins that mimic those found in COVID-19. These proteins then circulate inside the person and cause an immune response, which the researchers hope will trigger immunity to COVID-19.

The administration of mRNA vaccines to generate protein expression is a complex process simply because it contradicts the body’s natural biology. In a cell, mRNA serves as an intermediate between the code written in the cell’s DNA and the final protein that it creates. mRNA is formed in the cell nucleus, and as it ripens, it moves into the cytoplasm (the space between the nucleus and the external plasma membrane), where it is translated into the ribosome proteins of cells. mRNA, as a rule, is stable only inside the cell long enough for the translation of proteins and soon after that it decomposes.

These vaccines require that mRNA be introduced into the cytoplasm from outside the cell, which directly violates the underlying biological dogma. In fact, any kind of genetic material that is introduced from outside the cell is usually regarded as an alien invader and quickly degrades. This poses a complex challenge to the effectiveness of the mRNA-1273 vaccine.

Derrek Rossi of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and co-founder of Moderna has found a way to increase the stability of mRNA molecules introduced into cells. RNA is a polymer made up of just 4 basic molecules known as nucleotides - adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil (A, G, C, U) - linked together. Rossi's team found that by modifying two of these molecules, he could increase the stability of the molecule. One of the changes he made was to replace uracil with pseudouracil. This simple change allowed mRNAs introduced from outside the cell to escape degradation long enough to express their encoded proteins.

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Another problem facing mRNA vaccines is the transfer of mRNA across the outer cell membrane. The plasma membrane acts much like the skin of a cell, selectively deciding which molecules can penetrate into or out of the cell and which cannot. MRNA molecules cannot easily cross the plasma membrane, so mRNA vaccines will need little help.

There are technologies that bind vaccine mRNA to molecules, which allows them to enter the cell. They can include molecules such as protamines, lipids, and nanoparticles, all of which are designed to make them more permeable, or allow them to enter the cell.

The results of the phase 1 tests for mRNA-1273 need to wait a few more weeks, but the team hopes that they will be able to release the vaccine in a limited quantity in the fall of 2020.

Who will get the vaccine?

If the tests are successful, mRNA-1273 will be released in a limited way, probably only for medical professionals. The mRNA-1273 experimental vaccine is still awaiting the results of the first phase of clinical trials currently underway in Washington State.

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