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> So mRNA-based techniques have a lot of power and a lot of promise. But there’s definitely a low-hanging-fruit area here, and that’s infectious disease vaccine
by didibus 5y ago
> So mRNA-based techniques have a lot of power and a lot of promise. But there’s definitely a low-hanging-fruit area here, and that’s infectious disease vaccines. Beyond that the promise holds up, big-time, but the difficulties mount up as well. It’s going to be a long story with a lot of plot twists, but I’m glad we’re telling it.
Just want to emphasize the conclusion, because if you stop reading before the end, you might think that the article is dismissive of mRNA, its not, just realistic in the remaining challenges for some of the more ambitious outcomes of it.
- ummonk 5y agoIt's not clear that mRNA holds any actual advantage for that low-hanging-fruit relative to other approaches though (e.g. protein subunit or DNA-based vaccines).
- tiahura 5y ago“The mRNA vaccine seems to be highly effective, two doses of that vaccine against this variant,” Gottlieb said, referring to the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines. “The viral vector vaccines from J&J and AstraZeneca also appear to be effective, about 60% effective. The mRNA vaccines are about 88% effective.”
- smnrchrds 5y agoHigher efficacy does not have a 1-to-1 relationship with using mRNA technology. CureVac is an mRNA vaccine and is less than 50% effective. Novavax does not use mRNA and is more than 90% effective. https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/14/health/novavax-covid-19-vaccine-us-phase-3-trial-study/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/14/health/novavax-covid-19-vacci...
- ummonk 5y agoI'm talking about protein subunit and DNA-based technologies, not adenovirus viral vector. Protein subunit vaccines at least (e.g. the novavax and GSK vaccines) have proven themselves against COVID-19 as well.
- passivate 5y agoJust to clarify, a DNA based vaccine needs a platform/vector, which is what the adenovirus is. The viral vector is not a vaccine by itself.
- weaksauce 5y agoCorrect me if i am wrong but those highly effective mRNA vaccines were created in a few weeks and relatively inexpensively... and can other protein targets can be repackaged easily by coding the mRNA unit into the already encapsulated delivery mechanism. is that not better than the other alternatives?
- ummonk 5y agoNo, the same advantages apply to the other alternatives I mentioned. If you have a target protein design ready, it can be readily plugged into mRNA, DNA, or protein subunit technology.
- weaksauce 5y agoalright... thanks for that explanation. I thought it was more unique to the mRNA version that those but I was wrong.
- didibus 5y agoYou're talking about opportunity cost, I don't know enough to speak to that, but that there is something else just as good or better doesn't make it any lesser. At this point, the author of this article is more expert than I'll ever be, I'd assume that he has reasons to consider mRNA a low hanging fruit compared to existing tech like protein-subunit or adenovirus for infectious diseases. And against DNA-based, well mRNA has beat it to the punch in being used at scale in humans, so that's possibly one advantage.
- ummonk 5y agoI don't think he said that mRNA is low hanging fruit though. I think he said that vaccines for viral diseases are a low hanging fruit for applying mRNA.