Listen to this article:

The approval and mass administration of two Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic garnered immense global attention, particularly in the scientific and medical communities. These two vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna used antigen messenger RNA (mRNA) as the active immune priming ingredient to combat Covid-19. With such advanced technology, mRNA vaccine production does not require processing “live” pathogens (as required by traditional vaccines), making it much safer. When compared to other concurrent vaccine types, mRNA vaccines have also exhibited heightened efficacies against Covid-19 infections. However, the potential of mRNA vaccines does not simply stop at providing immunity against infections. Scientists are exploring the possibilities of harnessing the power of mRNA for tackling autoimmunity.

…To read the full article, head over to Issue 31: Science in the 22nd Century

Written by Danny Pang (he/him) is a final-year Immunology Honours student at the University of Edinburgh.