Cited by 4,667RNA Interference and Gene DeliveryImmunotherapy and Immune ResponsesSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research

mRNA vaccines — a new era in vaccinology

Open access
Pardi, Norbert, Hogan, Michael J., Porter, Frederick W., Weissman, Drew·2018·Nature Reviews Drug Discovery

Abstract

mRNA vaccines represent a promising alternative to conventional vaccine approaches because of their high potency, capacity for rapid development and potential for low-cost manufacture and safe administration. However, their application has until recently been restricted by the instability and inefficient in vivo delivery of mRNA. Recent technological advances have now largely overcome these issues, and multiple mRNA vaccine platforms against infectious diseases and several types of cancer have demonstrated encouraging results in both animal models and humans. This Review provides a detailed overview of mRNA vaccines and considers future directions and challenges in advancing this promising vaccine platform to widespread therapeutic use.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/nrd.2017.243

Cites

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  • mRNA production and lipid nanoparticle formulation are fast and highly scalable, making the technology suitable for rapid vaccine development and supply during pandemics.

    “mRNA production and lipid nanoparticle formulation are fast and highly scalable, which renders this technology suitable for the rapid development and supply of vaccines during pandemic scenarios 11,12 .”

    From BNT162b2 vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies and poly-specific T cells in humans (2021) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Good manufacturing practice production section says mRNA can be produced rapidly in a small facility and is suitable for rapid response to emerging infectious diseases; the Abstract describes its manufacturing as potentially scalable. The Progress in mRNA vaccine delivery section identifies lipid nanoparticles as commonly used delivery tools, but the copy does not establish that their formulation is fast and highly scalable. The GMP section also notes that some production components were available only at limited scale, so rapid pandemic-scale supply is not established. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • samRNA vaccines can induce potent immune responses at lower doses due to their ability to amplify antigen production within the body, potentially reducing the risk of adverse reactions.

    “samRNA vaccines can induce potent immune responses at lower doses due to their ability to amplify antigen production within the body, potentially reducing the risk of adverse reactions6,44.”

    From An Omicron-specific, self-amplifying mRNA booster vaccine for COVID-19: a phase 2/3 randomized trial (2024) · cites this paper as [44]

    The “Self-amplifying mRNA vaccines” section says intracellular RNA replication enables substantial antigen production from very small doses and reports potent immune responses at low doses. It does not say this reduces adverse reactions; instead, it warns that SAM vaccines’ inflammatory profile or reactogenicity may be difficult to modulate. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • ψ and m1ψ substitutions for U have been widely adopted for mRNA therapeutics and vaccines due to improved in-cell translation and better control of innate immune responses.

    “In particular, we focused on ψ and m1ψ, since these substitutions for U have been widely adopted for mRNA therapeutics and vaccines due to improved in-cell translation and to better control of innate immune responses2,3,8,67 through avoidance of recognition by cellular toll-like receptors (TLR7 and TLR8)68, RIG‑I, and PKR69–71.”

    From Combinatorial optimization of mRNA structure, stability, and translation for RNA-based therapeutics (2022) · cites this paper as [2]

    The 'Modulation of immunogenicity' section (page unavailable) says pseudouridine and 1-methylpseudouridine reduce innate immune sensing and that nucleoside-modified mRNA improves translation. It links these advances to interest in vaccines and protein-replacement therapies, but does not establish that both substitutions were widely adopted for those uses; the vaccine section describes the platform as novel. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Chemical modification is widely believed to be critical to the recent success of mRNA vaccines.

    “which is widely believed to be critical to the recent success of mRNA vaccines1,2,10,37,38”
  • BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 have been shown to induce type I interferon.

    “Both BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273, as well as the adenoviral-vectored vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, have been shown to induce type I interferon, thus potentially inducing pathogen-agnostic protection75–77.”

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Authors
Pardi, N., Hogan, M. J., Porter, F. W., & Weissman, D.
Affiliations
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • Duke University (US)
Corresponding author
Weissman, Drew
Venue
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Published
2018-01-12
Volume
17
Issue
4
Pages
261-279
ISSN
  • 1474-1776 (ISSN-L)
  • 1474-1784
OpenAlex
W2782708334
Cited by
4,667
References
218
Citations by year
2026: 640 · 2025: 683 · 2024: 630 · 2023: 662 · 2022: 801 · 2021: 808 · 2020: 303 · 2019: 90 · 2018: 49
FWCI
30.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1066832, OPP1033102)
  • National Institutes of Health (AI084860, AI-100645)
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (HR0011‐17‐2‐0069)
  • Advanced Research Projects Agency
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AI-100645, UM1AI100645, R01-AI084860, R01AI050484, R01AI124429, AI124429, U01AI067854, R01AI090788)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
Keywords
mRNA vaccines, mRNA stability, mRNA delivery, vaccine platforms, cancer vaccines, infectious disease vaccines, vaccine development
MeSH terms
Vaccinology, Animals, Humans, Neoplasms, RNA, Messenger, Vaccines

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