Adding a photocopier gene to mRNA vaccines could make them last longer and curb side effects. In the ever-evolving landscape of COVID-19 vac...
 |
| Adding a photocopier gene to mRNA vaccines could make them last longer and curb side effects. |
What makes it a different beast?
Conventional mRNA vaccines consist of messenger RNA that carries the genetic code for COVID-19’s spike protein. Once that mRNA enters the body, it gets translated into proteins by the same cellular machinery that translates our own messenger RNA. Self-amplifying mRNA vaccines contain a gene that encodes the spike protein as well as viral genes that code for replicate, the enzyme that serves as a photocopier. ''So the self-amplifying mRNA molecule promises to revolutionize the way we approach vaccination against infectious diseases,'' Anna Blakney, a bioengineer at the University of British Columbia, told Nature. (Blakney was one of our 35 Innovators Under 35 in 2023.)
Japan approved the new vaccine, called LUNAR-COV19, in late November based on results from a 16,000-person trial in Vietnam. Last month researchers published results of a head-to-head comparison between LUNAR-COV19 and Comirnaty, the mRNA vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech. In that 800-person study, vaccinated participants received either five micrograms of LUNAR-COV19 or 30 micrograms of Comirnaty as a fourth dose booster.
Reactions to both shots tended to be mild and resolved quickly. However, the self-amplifying mRNA shot did elicit antibodies in a greater percentage of people than Comirnaty. A month out, antibody levels against Omicron BA.4/5 were higher in people who received LUNAR-COV19. That could be a signal of increased durability. The company has already filed for approval in Europe. It’s also working on a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine for flu, both seasonal and pandemic.
Other companies are exploring the possibility that self-amplifying mRNA might be useful in rare genetic conditions to replace missing proteins. Arcturus, the company that co-developed LUNAR-COV19 with the global biotech CSL, is also developing self-amplifying messenger RNA to treat ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, a rare and life-threatening genetic disease. It’s an mRNA bonanza that will hopefully lead to better vaccines and new therapies.
Another thing
Babies and AI learn language in very different ways. The former rely on a relatively small set of experiences. The latter relies on data sets that encompass a trillion words. But this week I wrote about a new study that shows AI can learn language like a baby—at least some aspects of language. The researchers found that a neural network trained on things a single child saw and heard over a year and a half could learn to match words to the objects they represent. Here’s the story.
mRNA vaccines helped tackle COVID, but they can help with so much more—malaria, HIV, TB, Zika, and even cancer. Jessica Hamzelou wrote about their potential in January, and I followed up with a story after two mRNA researchers won a Nobel Prize. Using self-amplifying RNA isn’t the only way to make mRNA vaccines more powerful. Researchers are tweaking them in other ways that might help boost the immune response, writes Anne Trafton.
From around the web
Elon Musk says his company Neuralink has implanted a brain chip in a person for the first time. The device is designed to allow people to control external devices like smartphones and computers with their thoughts. (Washington Post). In August I wrote about Vertex’s quest to develop a non-opioid pain pill. This week the company announced positive results from phase 3 trials. The company expects to seek regulatory approval in the coming months, and if approved, the drug is likely to become a blockbuster. (Stat)
In some rare cases, it appears that Alzheimer’s can be transmitted from one person to another. That’s the conclusion of a new study: it found that eight people who received growth hormone from the brains of cadavers before the 1980s had sticky beta-amyloid plaques in their brains, a hallmark of the disease. The growth hormone they received also contained these proteins. And when researchers injected these proteins into mice, the mice also developed amyloid plaques.