Breaking News: New Self-Sustaining mRNA Vaccine Approved in Japan
In Japan, a new vaccine against Covid has recently been approved and it deserves attention. Like the mRNA vaccines known to us, it transfers instructions for creating a spike-shaped virus protein, but what makes it special is that it also teaches the body to produce more mRNA. In fact, the vaccine contains instructions to create additional instructions. This is a self-stinging vaccine.
The Advantages of Self-Sustaining mRNA Vaccines
The RNA (SARNA) self-sustaining vaccine has several important advantages over conventional mRNA vaccines. Thanks to the built-in copying device, the dosage can be significantly lower. One group of researchers tested both mRNA vaccine and SARNA on mice and found that only one dose is enough to achieve an equivalent level of influenza protection. The second advantage is that these vaccines may cause a longer immune response since the copied RNA remains in the body longer. If mRNA vaccines last a day or two, SARNA can last up to a month.
A Completely Different Approach
But do not think that SARNA is just a modified version of the usual mRNA vaccine. This is a completely different approach, says Anna Blackny, a bioengineer from the University of British Columbia.
MRNA self-stinging vaccines contain a gene encoding spiked protein, as well as viral genes encoding a replicate – an enzyme that serves as a copying apparatus. Thus, one molecule of self-sustaining mRNA can produce many more copies. The idea of a vaccine that copies itself in the body may seem a little alarming. But it is worth noting that the genes that give these vaccines the ability to self-sustain come from viruses, but do not contain the information necessary to create the virus itself. Thus, SARNA vaccines cannot produce new viruses. And just like mRNA, SARNA quickly decomposes in the body. It lasts longer than mRNA, but does not intensify endlessly.