Nucleoside‐modified messenger RNA COVID‐19 vaccine platform

Abstract

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic; from that date, the vaccine race has begun, and many technology platforms to develop a specific and effective COVID-19 vaccine have been launched in several clinical trials (protein subunit, RNA-based, DNA-based, replicating viral vector, nonreplicating viral vector, inactivated virus, live attenuated How to cite this article: Roncati L, Corsi L. Nucleoside-modified messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine platform.

An Update on mRNA-Based Viral Vaccines

“…ORF in IVT mRNA contains coding sequences to be translated into proteins. Current COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are in vitro manufactured, replacing uridine bases with N1-methylpseudouridine (m1ψ) to improve safety and translation efficacy ( Figure 1 ) [ 23 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. The poly-A tail also contributes to mRNA stability and is required for recognition by poly-A binding protein (PABP), which in return interacts with ribosome initiation complex for effective translation [ 33 , 34 , 35 ].…”

Emergency use authorization (EUA), conditional marketing authorization (CMA), and the precautionary principle at the time of COVID-19 pandemic

“…Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the most dramatic pandemic of the new millennium and extraordinary vaccination campaigns to reduce the death burden and to prevent the collapse of sanitary and socio-economic systems are needed around the globe [1][2][3][4]. Historically, the words 'vaccination' and 'vaccine' derived from Variolae vaccinae, a Latin expression to denote cowpox devised by Dr. Edward Jenner, MD, FRS, FRCPE (May 17, 1749, Berkeley, Gloucestershire-January 26, 1823, Berkeley, Gloucestershire).…”

COVID-19 in pregnancy

“…Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID- 19) is the most dramatic pandemic of the new millennium, and it has globally urged the scientific research without precedents. More recently, the International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21st Century (INTERGROWTH-21st) has published the results of the INTERCOVID multinational cohort study, involving 43 institutions from 18 different countries (Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, France, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States), in which 706 COVID-19 pregnant women and 1424 COVID-free pregnant women have been enrolled and studied from March to October 2020 [1].…”

“…By virtue of all this new evidence, the International Society of Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISIDOG) considers pregnancy as a risk factor for serious complications from SARS-CoV-2 infection, and pregnant women as a priority category in receiving COVID-19 vaccination [18]. Currently available data favor modRNA-based vaccines above vectorbased vaccines during pregnancy and breastfeeding, although long-term pharmacovigilance is still lacking for both [19]; however, preliminary findings of modRNA vaccine safety in pregnant persons are encouraging to date [20].…”