The History of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Advancements in Nucleoside Base Modifications and mRna Vaccine Development

Zarghami, Sheyda; Sefidbakht, Yahya; Mozaffari-jovin, Sina

The History of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Advancements in Nucleoside Base Modifications and mRna Vaccine Development

Document Type : Promotion Article

Authors

¹ Protein Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

² Protein Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University, Velenjak, Tehran, Iran.Faculty of New Technologies and Energy Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Velenjak, Tehran, Iran.

³ Department of Medical Genetics, Mashhad University of medical sciences, Mashahd, Iran

Abstract

The development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 is a highly significant scientific and medical achievement. This achievement undoubtedly resulted from the collaborative efforts of numerous teams of researchers and scientists in various fields. The mRNA vaccines represent a new class of vaccines that harness the body’s cellular machinery to produce specific antigens, which will trigger the immune responses against the produced antigens. The recent 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries related to fundamental nucleotide changes that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. The groundbreaking findings have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, contributing to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times. The use of nucleoside-modified mRNA for the development of mRNA vaccines remains an outstanding question with important implications for vaccine development. mRNA vaccines are a promising approach as the production process is simple, safety profiles are better than those of DNA vaccines, and these vaccines offer flexibility with respect to development. The history of mRNA vaccine technology goes back decades; however, it was in recently that companies and governments spending large budget on it. The Nobel Prize in Medicine for 2023 highlights the significant impact of advancements in nucleotide changes and mRNA vaccine development on medicine and public health, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, the fundamental advancements related to nucleotide changes and their role in developing mRNA vaccines is mentioned. We will also delve into the history of the Nobel Prize n Medicine and, finally, explore the history of the research and its progress over time, along with the potential applications of this knowledge in the future.

Keywords

20.1001.1.2008935.1402.13.2.5.4

References

[1]. James D. Watson Molecular Biology of the Gene; 7th edition.; 2004;

[2]. Schlake, T.; Thess, A.; Fotin-Mleczek, M.; Kallen, K.-J. Developing MRNA-Vaccine Technologies. RNA Biol 2012, 9, 1319–1330, doi:10.4161/rna.22269.

[3]. Karikó, K.; Weissman, D. Naturally Occurring Nucleoside Modifications Suppress the Immunostimulatory Activity of RNA: Implication for Therapeutic RNA Development. Curr Opin Drug Discov Devel 2007, 10, 523–532.

[4]. Zamani, P.; Mashreghi, M.; Rezazade Bazaz, M.; Zargari, S.; Alizadeh, F.; Dorrigiv, M.; Abdoli, A.; Aminianfar, H.; Hatamipour, M.; Zarqi, J.; et al. Characterization of Stability, Safety and Immunogenicity of the MRNA Lipid Nanoparticle Vaccine Iribovax® against COVID-19 in Nonhuman Primates. Journal of Controlled Release 2023, 360, 316–334, doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.06.025.

[5]. Pilkington, E.H.; Suys, E.J.A.; Trevaskis, N.L.; Wheatley, A.K.; Zukancic, D.; Algarni, A.; Al-Wassiti, H.; Davis, T.P.; Pouton, C.W.; Kent, S.J.; et al. From Influenza to COVID-19: Lipid Nanoparticle MRNA Vaccines at the Frontiers of Infectious Diseases. Acta Biomater 2021, 131, 16–40, doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.06.023.

[6]. Dolgin, E. The Tangled History of MRNA Vaccines. Nature 2021, 597, 318–324, doi:10.1038/d41586-021-02483-w.

[7]. Casadevall, A. The MRNA Vaccine Revolution Is the Dividend from Decades of Basic Science Research. Journal of Clinical Investigation 2021, doi:10.1172/JCI153721.

[8]. Press Release. NobelPrize.Org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Wed. 25 Oct 2023. <https://Www.Nobelprize.Org/Prizes/Medicine/2023/Press-Release/>.

[9]. Karikó, K. Modified Uridines Are the Key to a Successful Message. Nat Rev Immunol 2021, 21, 619–619, doi:10.1038/s41577-021-00608-w.

[10]. Advanced Information. NobelPrize.Org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Wed. 25 Oct 2023. <https://Www.Nobelprize.Org/Prizes/Medicine/2023/Advanced-Information/>.

[11]. Karikó, K.; Buckstein, M.; Ni, H.; Weissman, D. Suppression of RNA Recognition by Toll-like Receptors: The Impact of Nucleoside Modification and the Evolutionary Origin of RNA. Immunity 2005, 23, 165–175, doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2005.06.008.

[12]. Schlake, T.; Thess, A.; Fotin-Mleczek, M.; Kallen, K.-J. Developing MRNA-Vaccine Technologies. RNA Biol 2012, 9, 1319–1330, doi:10.4161/rna.22269.

[13]. Edouard Mathieu and Hannah Ritchie and Lucas Rodés-Guirao and Cameron Appel and Charlie Giattino and Joe Hasell and Bobbie Macdonald and Saloni Dattani and Diana Beltekian and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Max Roser Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). Our World in Data 2020.

[14]. Pardi, N.; Hogan, M.J.; Porter, F.W.; Weissman, D. MRNA Vaccines — a New Era in Vaccinology. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2018, 17, 261–279, doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.243.

[15]. Rosa, S.S.; Prazeres, D.M.F.; Azevedo, A.M.; Marques, M.P.C. MRNA Vaccines Manufacturing: Challenges and Bottlenecks. Vaccine 2021, 39, 2190–2200, doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.03.038.

[16]. Wadhwa, A.; Aljabbari, A.; Lokras, A.; Foged, C.; Thakur, A. Opportunities and Challenges in the Delivery of MRNA-Based Vaccines. Pharmaceutics 2020, 12, 102, doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics12020102.

[17]. Lin, L.; Pei, Y.; Li, Z.; Luo, D. Progress and Challenges of MRNA Vaccines. Interdisciplinary Medicine 2023, 1, doi:10.1002/INMD.20220008.

[18]. Polack, F.P.; Thomas, S.J.; Kitchin, N.; Absalon, J.; Gurtman, A.; Lockhart, S.; Perez, J.L.; Pérez Marc, G.; Moreira, E.D.; Zerbini, C.; et al. Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 MRNA Covid-19 Vaccine. New England Journal of Medicine 2020, 383, 2603–2615, doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2034577.

[19]. Baden, L.R.; El Sahly, H.M.; Essink, B.; Kotloff, K.; Frey, S.; Novak, R.; Diemert, D.; Spector, S.A.; Rouphael, N.; Creech, C.B.; et al. Efficacy and Safety of the MRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine. New England Journal of Medicine 2021, 384, 403–416, doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2035389.

[20]. Bayani, F.; Hashkavaei, N.S.; Arjmand, S.; Rezaei, S.; Uskoković, V.; Alijanianzadeh, M.; Uversky, V.N.; Ranaei Siadat, S.O.; Mozaffari-Jovin, S.; Sefidbakht, Y. An Overview of the Vaccine Platforms to Combat COVID-19 with a Focus on the Subunit Vaccines. Prog Biophys Mol Biol 2023, 178, 32–49, doi: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2023.02.004.