RNA vaccine may be useful against flu, herpes and cancer – 04/06/2024 – Health

Used in the production of vaccines against Covid, the mRNA platform has been tested in the prevention and treatment of other conditions, such as flu, herpes and cancer.

The technology is based on a synthetic version of messenger RNA. This molecule present in the human body contains the code for a protein to be produced by the body.

In the case of immunizers against the coronavirus, for example, the mRNA transmits to the ribosomes (responsible for protein synthesis) the recipe for Spike (or spike, the molecular hook used by the virus to invade cells) and N (nucleus) proteins. of Sars-CoV-2. In contact with them, the immune system produces antibodies, ensuring protection against the pathogen.

Messenger RNA was discovered in the 1960s, and its use for vaccine production began to be researched in the following decade.

Between the 1990s and 2000s, it was tested against viral diseases and cancer, but it was during the Covid pandemic that the efforts bore their first fruits, with the arrival of immunizers from the Pfizer laboratory in partnership with the German biotechnology company BioNTech. Another biotechnology company that also had success in the pandemic was Moderna.

The two vaccines were launched in record time after a long accumulation of efforts.

One of the challenges for the success of the mRNA platform was to make chemical modifications to the molecule so that it was well accepted by the organism. Those who achieved the feat were the Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó and the American doctor Drew Weissman, who received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2023.

Other immunizers were produced from killed or attenuated pathogens, which, when recognized by the body, led the immune system to produce antibodies. Although this technique is effective, the mRNA platform brings advantages, such as agility in production, says the medical director of Pfizer Brazil, Adriana Ribeiro. Because they are made only with the genetic code of the pathogen, standardization and large-scale manufacturing of the product are easier, which is strategic in the midst of outbreaks and epidemics.

Another benefit is the ease of developing a single formula for more than one invader, says the Pfizer doctor. In October 2023, the laboratory released, in partnership with BioNTech, the results of phase 1 and 2 tests for an immunizer against influenza A, influenza B and Sars-CoV-2, which had responses similar to those of vaccines approved by agencies regulatory. Phase 3 tests, the last stage before the drug is released for distribution, should begin in the coming months. The companies also intend to launch a vaccine for shingles using the same method.

Moderna, which has been researching applications of the mRNA platform for more than 10 years, has been studying technology solutions to combat cancer and metabolic and viral diseases. Last year, the company released a phase 2 study of a vaccine against cytomegalovirus (CMV), one of the main causes of congenital hearing loss. The formula was found to be safe and effective and will undergo further testing.

In oncology, the mRNA platform is studied to treat different types of cancer in a personalized way, says Dasa Genomics oncologist, Luiz Henrique Araújo. The proposal is undergoing clinical studies, and the idea is that in the future it could induce changes in the body of a cancer patient to prevent the condition from progressing.

“The mRNA platform is a true revolution in medicine”, says the Director of the Immunization Committee of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases, Rosana Richtmann. The specialist hopes not only that technology will continue to advance, but that it will become more accessible, with the expansion of production and research hubs in developing countries like Brazil.

Currently, the Institute of Immunobiological Technology of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz) has been working to start manufacturing mRNA vaccines in order to reduce Latin America’s dependence on the import of health technologies.

According to Fiocruz, pre-clinical tests for the national manufacture of an immunizer against Covid using this technique are already underway.