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Published on: June 10, 2022
Modifications of mRNA vaccine structural elements for improving mRNA stability and translation efficiency
Sun Chang Kim1, Simranjeet Singh Sekhon2, Woo-Ri Shin2,3
1Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141 South Korea.
Background:
mRNA vaccines hold great potential as therapeutic techniques against viral infections due to their efficacy, safety, and large-scale production. mRNA vaccines offer flexibility in development as any protein can be produced from mRNA without altering the production or application process.
Objective:
This review highlights the iterative optimization of mRNA vaccine structural elements that impact the type, specificity, and intensity of immune responses leading to higher translational potency and intracellular stability.
Results:
Modifying the mRNA structural elements particularly the 5' cap, 5'-and 3'-untranslated regions (UTRs), the coding region, and polyadenylation tail help reduce the excessive mRNA immunogenicity and consistently improve its intracellular stability and translational efficiency.
Conclusion:
Further studies regarding mRNA-structural elements and their optimization are needed to create new opportunities for engineering mRNA vaccines.
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