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mRNA vaccines
mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) is a type of RNA that can be engineered to elicit an immune response
5 Facts you should know
FACT
mRNA vaccines deliver molecules of antigen-encoding mRNA into immune cells, which use the designed mRNA as a blueprint to build foreign protein that would normally be produced by a pathogen
FACT
In current mRNA vaccines, the mRNA is delivered into the cells by a co-formulation of the RNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles that protect the RNA strands and help their absorption into the cells
FACT
Because of previous research that laid the groundwork for this technology, an effective COVID-19 vaccine was developed, produced, approved and deployed in less than a year
FACT
The advantages of mRNA vaccines over traditional vaccines are ease of design, speed and cost of production, the induction of both cellular and humoral immunity, and lack of interaction with the genomic DNA
FACT
mRNA vaccines have also been studied for a number of other viruses, including vaccines for human use have been studied for infectious agents such as influenza, Zika virus, cytomegalovirus, and Chikungunya virus
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