mRNA: The Future of Therapeutics

2020 was the year that established mRNA as a household name around the globe. This previously unheard-of treatment option suddenly became the poster child as a way to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines contain mRNA that once injected, encodes for the spike glycoprotein found on the surface of the virus. Since first discovered in 1961, mRNA has emerged as a promising therapeutic medication to treat a host of other diseases including cancer, heart disease, autoimmune conditions, and cystic fibrosis. Could the future eradication of such devastating diagnoses be as simple as receiving a unique sequence of nucleotides that encode for a specific protein? Hear from a handful of innovative scientists working at the forefront of developing these potentially life altering medications.