Inside the body, herpes viruses travel within continuous chains of neurons, so the immune system (antibodies, macrophages, etc.) can’t access herpes viral parti

Inside the body, herpes viruses travel within continuous chains of neurons, so the immune system (antibodies, macrophages, etc.) can’t access herpes viral particles until they cross a single tiny gap between a sensory neuron and a skin cell. The narrowness of that opportunity for immune system action means that vaccines which work by stimulating antibody production (mRNA-based ones included) will have only limited effectiveness. Gene editing techniques like the one mentioned in the article will always be superior to traditional vaccines when it comes to herpes.