More than 20% of emergency room visits in the U.S. are from patients presenting with abdominal pain, yet identifying the cause and severity of the illness remains a challenge for ER doctors. A new paper in Nature shows the promise…
Tag: mRNA

Scientists develop novel mRNA delivery method using extracellular vesicles
A team of researchers led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has developed a novel delivery system for messenger RNA (mRNA) using extracellular vesicles (EVs). The new technique has the potential to overcome many of the delivery hurdles faced by other promising mRNA therapies.
Rewriting the Textbook on Gene Regulation: It’s the Big Picture That Counts
For the first time, researchers at UC San Diego have shown that changes in gene expression happen almost entirely during the transcription stage while the cells are growing. The researchers have provided a simple quantitative formula linking regulatory control to mRNA and protein levels.
Multistate study examines mRNA vaccine effectiveness for immunocompromised adults during Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 predominance
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s VISION Network presents and analyzes some of the first real-world data on mRNA COVID vaccine effectiveness during Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 predominance for immunocompromised adults.
Diversifying the next generation of TB vaccines
NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded Texas Biomedical Research Institute and The Access to Advanced Health Institute in Seattle, Washington, a $3.5 million, five-year Innovation for Tuberculosis Vaccine Discovery grant.
Modified nucleotides used in COVID-19 vaccines work as designed
The remarkable effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 has generated much interest in synthetic mRNA therapeutics for treating and preventing disease. But some basic science questions have remained about whether the modified nucleotides used in the vaccines faithfully produce the protein products that they are designed to make.
New imaging technique allows researchers to see gene expression in brains of live mice in real time
A University of Minnesota Twin Cities-led team has developed a new technique for imaging mRNA molecules in the brains of living mice. The research reveals new insights into how memories are formed and stored in the brain and could allow scientists to learn more about diseases such as Alzheimer’s in the future.
University of Pennsylvania’s First NFT Commemorates mRNA Research
The historic scientific breakthrough at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that helped lead the world’s fight against COVID-19 through mRNA-based vaccines is being commemorated through a non-fungible token—a digital asset to be auctioned by Christie’s—that will support ongoing research at Penn.
2022 Warren Alpert Prize goes to mRNA research that enabled the design of COVID-19 vaccines
The work of the award recipients altered the trajectory of the pandemic and has saved countless lives
The discoveries made by the five scientists have opened the door for an array of mRNA-based therapies and vaccines for a range of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, bleeding disorders, and more
Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Show Robust T-Cell Responses to mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
New research shows that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients undergoing anti-CD20 (aCD20) treatment – which depletes the B cells that contribute to the MS attacks – are able to mount robust T-cell responses to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, despite having a muted antibody response to the vaccines.
2022 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Awarded to Penn Medicine mRNA Pioneers Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó
PHILADELPHIA – It was a scientific discovery 16 years ago that paved the way for creation of lifesaving vaccines when the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe in 2020. Now, the two Penn Medicine researchers behind the findings are again being recognized for their innovative and monumental work, which has ushered in a new era of vaccine technology.
Penn mRNA Researchers Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó Awarded the 2021 Albany Prize
PHILADELPHIA – For their landmark research that set a foundation for the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, the Roberts Family Professor of Vaccine Research, and Katalin Karikó;, PhD, an adjunct professor of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a senior vice president at BioNTech, have been selected to receive the 2021 Albany Prize.
Low on Antibodies, Blood Cancer Patients Can Fight off COVID-19 with T Cells
Antibodies aren’t the only immune cells needed to fight off COVID-19 — T cells are equally important and can step up to do the job when antibodies are depleted, suggests a new Penn Medicine study of blood cancer patients with COVID-19 published in Nature Medicine.
COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines are Immunogenic in Pregnant and Lactating Women, Including Against Viral Variants
In a new study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center researchers evaluated the immunogenicity of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in pregnant and lactating women who received either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. They found that both vaccines triggered immune responses in pregnant and lactating women.
Chula Innovations for Society to Fight COVID-19
Chulalongkorn University has taken a bold step in commutating its transformation to an innovation-centric university with its “Innovations for Society” campaign. The campaign uses a short movie to inform the public about the various innovations that Chula has successfully developed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of Chula’s mission to play a leading role in “Creating Knowledge and Innovation to Promote Sustainable Development for Society”.
2021 Warren Alpert Prize Awarded to Two Scientists for RNA Discoveries
The 2021 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize has been awarded to scientists Lynne Maquat and Joan Steitz for seminal discoveries in the biology and function of RNA, the workhorse molecule of cells. Their discoveries have reshaped the understanding of RNA’s myriad roles in healthy cell function and in disease-causing dysfunction and have informed the conceptualization and design of RNA-based therapies in various stages of development.
信使RNA COVID-19疫苗大幅降低无症状COVID-19感染和传播给他人的风险
接受第二剂信使RNA或mRNA COVID-19疫苗10天后,与未接种COVID-19疫苗的患者相比,无症状COVID-19感染者检测为阳性和在不知不觉中传播COVID-19的可能性大幅降低。Pfizer-BioNTech和Moderna信使RNA COVID-19疫苗已在美国获得紧急使用授权。
As vacinas para COVID-19 de RNA mensageiro reduzem muito o risco de infecção assintomática por COVID-19 disseminada para outras pessoas
Dez dias após receber uma segunda dose de uma vacina para COVID-19 de RNA mensageiro, ou mRNA, pacientes sem sintomas de COVID-19 têm muito menos probabilidade de apresentar teste positivo e espalhar COVID-19 inadvertidamente, em comparação com pacientes que não foram vacinados para COVID-19.
An mRNA vaccine for cancer immunotherapy
Researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters have developed a hydrogel that, when injected into mice with melanoma, slowly released RNA nanovaccines that shrank tumors and kept them from metastasizing.
Technion to Award Honorary Doctorate to Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla
Israel’s Technion will award an honorary doctorate to Pfizer CEO and Chairman Dr. Albert Bourla, for leading the development of the novel vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The honorary doctorate will be conferred at the Technion Board of Governors meeting in November 2021.
Seeking to avoid ‘full lockdown,’ cells monitor ribosome collisions
But sometimes ribosomes get stuck or stall on roadblocks along defective mRNA molecules. New research from Washington University in St. Louis shows that cells monitor for ribosome collisions to determine the severity of the problem and how best to respond when things start to go awry.

Weizmann Institute of Science and Colleagues Show How Cancer Cells Hurt Themselves to Hurt Immune Cells More
Melanoma is skilled at evading therapies, with its cells going so far as to starve in order to stop the immune cells that would eradicate them. A team from the Weizmann Institute, including Prof. Yardena Samuels; the Netherlands Cancer Institute; and the University of Oslo have revealed one of melanoma’s tricks – never before seen in human cells – and a therapeutic target.

Penn Medicine mRNA Vaccine Technology Pioneer and Health Policy Experts Join Together to Discuss COVID Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization Plans
**All experts also available for interviews prior to event and EUA Advisory Committee Meetings**
**B-roll and lab photos of Drs. Weissman and Wherry shot this month, headshots of the others, and photos from Penn’s Moderna vaccine trial participants getting vaccinated, are available for use**

NSF supports project to demystify communication in plants
The National Science Foundation recently awarded Margaret Frank, assistant professor of plant biology at Cornell University, a $1.3 million Faculty Early Career Development Program grant for her study of mRNA communication in plants.
Tiny mineral particles are better vehicles for promising gene therapy
University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have developed a safer and more efficient way to deliver a promising new method for treating cancer and liver disorders and for vaccination — including a COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna Therapeutics that has advanced to clinical trials with humans.