Knife's Edge: Balancing Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity in MRNA Vaccines

Overview

Journal Exp Mol Med

Specialties Biochemistry
Molecular Biology

Date 2023 Jul 10

PMID 37430088

Authors

Jisun Lee

Matthew C Woodruff

Eui Ho Kim

Jae-Hwan Nam

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Since the discovery of messenger RNA (mRNA), there have been tremendous efforts to wield them in the development of therapeutics and vaccines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, two mRNA vaccines were developed and approved in record-breaking time, revolutionizing the vaccine development landscape. Although first-generation COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have demonstrated over 90% efficacy, alongside strong immunogenicity in humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, their durability has lagged compared to long-lived vaccines, such as the yellow fever vaccine. Although worldwide vaccination campaigns have saved lives estimated in the tens of millions, side effects, ranging from mild reactogenicity to rare severe diseases, have been reported. This review provides an overview and mechanistic insights into immune responses and adverse effects documented primarily for COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Furthermore, we discuss the perspectives of this promising vaccine platform and the challenges in balancing immunogenicity and adverse effects.

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