Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zürich (USZ), University of Zürich (UZH), Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland.
Viruses. 2021 Feb 9;13(2):270. doi: 10.3390/v13020270.
In the race for a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the synthetic mRNA format has been shown to be the fastest one and proved to be safe and highly efficient, even at the very low dose of a few µg per injection. The mRNA vaccines are not new: vaccines that are based on attenuated mRNA viruses, such as Mumps, Measles, and Rubella, immunize by delivering their mRNAs into the cells of the vaccinated individual, who produces the viral proteins that then prime the immune response. Synthetic mRNA in liposomes can be seen as a modern, more refined, and thereby a safer version of those live attenuated RNA viruses. The anti-COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (coding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein) is the third synthetic RNA therapeutic being approved. It follows the aptamer Macugen (which neutralizes VEGF) and the siRNA Onpattro (which destroys the transthyretin-coding mRNA). Remarkably, the 30 µg of mRNA that are contained in the first approved anti-COVID-19 vaccine are sufficient for generating high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the virus in all injected volunteers (including participants over 65 years old). The efficacy and safety data are stunning. The distribution of these vaccines throughout the world will bring a halt to the coronavirus pandemic.
在针对 SARS-CoV-2 的疫苗竞赛中，合成 mRNA 格式已被证明是最快的一种，并且已被证明是安全且高效的，即使在每针几微克的极低剂量下也是如此。mRNA 疫苗并不新鲜：基于减毒 mRNA 病毒的疫苗，例如腮腺炎、麻疹和风疹，通过将其 mRNA 递送至接种个体的细胞中来进行免疫，个体产生的病毒蛋白随后引发免疫反应。脂质体中的合成 mRNA 可以被视为那些减毒 RNA 病毒的现代、更精细、更安全的版本。抗 COVID-19 mRNA 疫苗（编码 SARS-CoV-2 刺突蛋白）是第三种获得批准的合成 RNA 疗法。它紧随适体 Macugen（中和 VEGF）和 siRNA Onpattro（破坏转甲状腺素蛋白编码 mRNA）之后。值得注意的是，首批抗 COVID-19 疫苗中包含的 30 µg mRNA 足以在所有接种志愿者（包括 65 岁以上的参与者）中产生针对该病毒的高水平中和抗体。疗效和安全性数据令人震惊。这些疫苗在全球范围内的分发将阻止冠状病毒大流行。
