Messenger RNA technology is used for two vaccines against Covid-19. According to some researchers, it could also be useful for HIV research.
- For Glenda Gray, a member of the South African Academy of Sciences, mRNA should be used in the search for a vaccine against HIV.
The question was addressed during a virtual meeting on HIV research and prevention: can we find a vaccine against HIV – the virus responsible for AIDS – using messenger RNA (or mRNA)? This technology is used by the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna laboratories for their vaccine against Covid-19.
For Glenda Gray, a member of the South African Academy of Sciences, mRNA should be used in the search for a vaccine against HIV. “It makes perfect sense to look at how we can achieve this. So we have to do the reverse method.” insists Glenda Gray. “As we did with Zika, Ebola and Sars covid 2, we need to see how we can use mRNA in the search for an HIV vaccine”.
But what is the relationship between Covid-19 and AIDS? These two diseases are caused by two viruses – respectively Sras-Cov-2 and HIV – with RNA. But their resemblance ends here. These pathologies do not cause the same symptoms and are not based on the same infection mechanisms. Additionally, HIV mutates much faster than Sars-Cov-2, which means it is harder for the immune system to fight. So, despite the research, scientists are finding it more difficult to develop a vaccine against HIV.
Messenger RNA encodes proteins of the infectious agent
What is messenger RNA technology? To understand it, we must first return to the traditional method of vaccination. It consists of introducing a microbe or virus that has been rendered harmless into a patient’s body so that his immune system learns to recognize it and puts in place processes to neutralize it. The individual will thus be protected against future contamination, because he will have produced memory immune cells.
For the messenger RNA vaccine, the goal is obviously the same but not the method. The difference lies in the injection given to the patient. The dose contains messenger RNA molecules encoding proteins of the pathogenic agent, whereas in classic vaccination, it is the microbe or the virus rendered harmless which is injected.
The result is that with the messenger RNA, the cells of the vaccinated individual will themselves produce the infectious agents against which they will have to fight. Then, the immune system will produce the necessary antibodies to fight against the microbe or the virus, and the memory cells will allow it to never be infected again.
Messenger RNA vaccines difficult to store and transport
This messenger RNA technique was chosen by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna for several reasons. First of all, the vaccines resulting from this technology are simpler and faster to produce. In the context of the fight against Covid-19, this is a strong argument for laboratories, which must provide billions of doses in record time.
The downside is that these vaccines must be stored at very low temperatures, which complicates transport and storage. Especially since the various health establishments and health professionals do not necessarily have the appropriate equipment. Until now, no other vaccine based on messenger RNA technology has been marketed.