The Tangled History of mRNA Vaccines
The tangled history of mRNA vaccines

    
        
            
                NEWS FEATURE
                14 September 2021
                
                        Correction 22 October 2021
                
            

            

            
                
                
                    Hundreds of scientists had worked on mRNA vaccines for decades before the coronavirus pandemic brought a breakthrough.
                
            
        
        
            
    
        
            
                
                    Elie Dolgin
                
                
                    
                        
                            Elie Dolgin is a science journalist in Somerville, Massachusetts.
                        
                    
                
                
                    
                
            
        
    

        
    
    
In late 1987, Robert Malone performed a landmark experiment. He mixed strands of messenger RNA with droplets of fat, to create a kind of molecular stew. Human cells bathed in this genetic gumbo absorbed the mRNA, and began producing proteins from it1.
                    Updates & Corrections
                    
                                Correction 22 October 2021: An earlier version of this feature implied that an alteration to the spike sequence to improve protective immunity was a contribution specific to coronavirus vaccines. In fact, such protein tweaks can be applied to many viral vaccines. The story has also been updated to include mention of mRNA vaccine experiments in early patent filings.
                            
                    
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