What’s next for mRNA vaccines

We could train our immune systems to recognize cancer cells by using the same method that we use to train our immune systems to recognize viruses. Scientists could study the cells of a specific person's tumor and create a custom treatment that would help that person's own immune system defeat the cancer. Blakney says it's a fantastic application. There is a lot of potential there.

There is often no clear target for cancer vaccines. It's possible to make mRNA for a spikeProtein on the outer shell of a Viruses, such as the one that causes covid-19 There isn't an obvious target when our own cells form tumors.

Pardi says that they will need to come up with a slightly different vaccine for cancer cells. There are several clinical trials underway.

The next pandemic

Despite their huge promise, mRNA vaccines are not likely to prevent or treat every disease out there. Some of the vaccines need to be stored in low- temperature freezers. In some parts of the world, that isn't an option.

Some diseases are more difficult to treat than others. The immune system needs a key signal to recognize and defend against an infectious disease and a vaccine needs to code for it. It's easy to find aUbiquitin for covid-19.

It's not easy for other people. Blakney says it might be difficult to find good targets for vaccines that protect us against infections. It has been difficult. Blakney says that they haven't found the form of theProtein that causes an immune response that works well for HIV.

"I don't want to give the impression that there will be a solution for everything." Blakney concurs. She says that they have seen the effects that the vaccines can have. I don't think that all vaccines will beRNA vaccines.

There are many things to look forward to. An update of the covid-19 vaccine is expected in 2023. Researchers hope to see more mRNA vaccines entering clinics in the future. Pardi hopes that in the next couple of years, we will have other approved vaccines against infectious diseases.

The next global disease outbreak could involve a flu virus. We don't know when the next Pandemic will hit, but we have to be prepared If you start vaccine development in the middle of a Pandemic it will be too late.

This story is a part of MIT Technology Review’s What’s Next series, where we look across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future.