S4.01 Genes and Vaccines: Where mRNA COVID-19 vaccines came from and how they work
Hello, and welcome to the new series of Genetics Unzipped - the Genetics Society podcast, with me, Dr Kat Arney. In this episode we’re taking a look at the story behind the development of mRNA vaccines, and how they’ve been pressed into service at breakneck speed to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hello and happy new year! Welcome to the new series of Genetics Unzipped - with many thanks to The Genetics Society for supporting the podcast through 2021. We’re excited to bring you new episodes every fortnight, with interviews from some of the leading lights of the genetics worlds and stories from the history of genetic science. Make sure you subscribe on Apple podcasts, Spotify or however you like to listen to make sure you don’t miss an episode, and you can also follow us on Twitter, @GeneticsUnzip to get all the latest news and updates.
As we get stuck into planning our new series, we want to hear from you! What topics would you like us to explore? Who would you like us to interview? Do you have a fantastic story from the world of genetics you’d like to share? Or are you from a company or organisation interested in partnering with us for sponsored episode that would be of interest to our many thousands of genetics-curious listeners around the world? If so, tweet us @GeneticsUnzip or email podcast@geneticsunzipped.com
Last year we doubled our listenership, and we’d love to do that again this year so please do spread the word by social media, email or - gasp! - if you manage to see anyone in person. And, as always, it would be great if you could leave us a rating and a short review on Apple podcasts - it does something happy to the algorithm and helps more people discover the show.
Now, with that out of the way, let’s get on with the show.
Just over a year ago, in December 2019, the Chinese authorities reported a cluster of cases of a new pneumonia-like disease in the city of Wuhan. And the rest, as they say, is history.
At the time of writing, that disease, COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, has spread all over the world. More than 84 million people have been officially diagnosed - with doubtless many millions more having had the virus without having symptoms - and more than 1.8 million have lost their lives.
As well as the scale of the human tragedy, the effect on society has been immense, from economic, educational, cultural and social impacts to knock-on effects on health. Delayed cancer diagnoses, missed heart attacks, maternity made much more challenging, and routine appointments for screening, scans, surgery, vaccinations and other vital services cancelled or delayed. And, of course, there are the mental health impacts of living through one of the most challenging eras of modern times.
I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing more I want than for COVID-19 to go away and life to get back to some kind of normality again - or, maybe even better than before. Alongside public health measures to prevent the spread of the virus, vaccination is the key to bringing the pandemic back under control. And in December 2020, we started to see the first COVID vaccines being approved in the UK, US and other countries, to great fanfare and celebration.
Of the three main vaccine frontrunners authorised for use in the UK or US, two are based on mRNA. It’s a technology that seems very new and - if we’re being honest - a little scary, as these vaccines work by directly injecting a type of genetic code into the body.
We’re going to take a look at how mRNA vaccines work, how they were developed so fast for COVID-19, and how this new technology might change the face of immunization and public health in the future.
But first, let’s take a step back to the 1950s to find out what mRNA actually is, and who discovered it in the first place.
mRNA: a molecular mystery!
How do mRNA vaccines work?
That’s all for now. Thanks very much to Matthew Cobb for his cameo appearance in the story of the discovery of mRNA, and do check out his new book about the history of neuroscience, The Idea of the Brain, as well as Life’s Greatest Secret, his book about the race to crack the genetic code, for more fascinating insights into stories from the history of science.
And you can find out more about the history of vaccination and the latest advances in the British Society for Immunology’s Protecting the World report, which was also produced by the team here at First Create the Media - the link is in the show notes at GeneticsUnzipped.com.
We’ll be back next time with more tales from the cutting edge of genetics - remember to send in your ideas for topics you’d like us to cover this year to podcast@geneticsunzipped.com or tweet us @geneticsunzip
For more information about this podcast including show notes, transcripts, links, references, music credits and everything else head over to geneticsunzipped.com You can find us on Twitter @geneticsunzip and please do take a moment to rate and review us on Apple podcasts - it really makes a difference and helps more people discover the show.
Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by me, Kat Arney. It is produced by First Create the Media for The Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. You can find out more and apply to join at genetics.org.uk. Our theme music was composed by Dan Pollard, and the logo was designed by James Mayall, and audio production was by Hannah Varrall. Thanks for listening, and until next time, goodbye.
All music and sound effects licensed from Envato and Epidemic Sound
