What are mRNA Vaccines?

What is mRNA?

• Messenger RNA (a mRNA) is a type of single-stranded RNA involved in protein synthesis.
• mRNA is made from a DNA template during the process of transcription.
• The role of mRNA is to carry protein information from the DNA in a cell’s nucleus to the cell’s cytoplasm (watery interior), where the protein-making machinery reads the mRNA sequence and translates each three-base codon into its corresponding amino acid in a growing protein chain.
• So, mRNA really is a form of nucleic acid which helps the human genome, which is coded in DNA, to be read by the cellular machinery.

About mRNA Vaccines:

• mRNA vaccines work by introducing a piece of mRNA that corresponds to a viral protein, usually a small piece of a protein found on the virus’s outer membrane.
• By using this mRNA, cells can produce the viral protein. 
• As part of a normal immune response, the immune system recognizes that the protein is foreign and produces specialized proteins called antibodies.
• Once produced, antibodies remain in the body, even after the body has rid itself of the pathogen, so that the immune system can quickly respond if exposed again.
• Antibodies help protect the body against infection by recognizing individual viruses or other pathogens, attaching to them, and marking the pathogens for destruction. 
• If a person is exposed to a virus after receiving mRNA vaccination for it, antibodies can quickly recognize it, attach to it, and mark it for destruction before it can cause serious illness.
• Individuals who get an mRNA vaccine are not exposed to the virus, nor can they become infected with the virus by the vaccine.
• How are mRNA vaccines made?
  • To make an mRNA vaccine, scientists must first identify a protein on the outside of the virus that the body’s immune response will respond to (the “target” protein).
  • The protein they choose must be sufficiently different from proteins on the outside of the body’s own cells, so the immune system only attacks the virus. 
  • They then identify the DNA that has the information for making the target protein.
  • Scientists use the DNA to produce the mRNA for the target protein.
  • Once enough mRNA has been made, the DNA is broken down to ensure that only the mRNA is packaged in the vaccine.
  • The speed and efficiency of this process can make large amounts of mRNA in a short period of time.