Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine

Marwa Benyounes

Developed In Record Time; 2 Days 

A vaccine crafted in two days—the fastest medical development of all time. Moderna, a Cambridge-based biotechnology company that specializes in cutting-edge mRNA vaccines, cut down the average vaccine development time from years to merely forty-eight hours (1). The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine built in those two days was key in saving millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moderna Vaccine

 Moderna used to mainly specialize in research. It was not until 3-4 years ago that the company began to explore vaccine development. But once the pandemic began, the race was on. Companies all around the world took their chance at creating a vaccine to stop what was the biggest and deadliest pandemic in recent history. The beauty of an mRNA vaccine is that, with the genetic sequence of a virus and other technology, it can be swift and easy to create a vaccine.

     Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Packaging

Traditional vaccines inject a harmless antigen into the body. Antibodies are then generated by the immune system, creating a resistance against the virus. This method is tried and true; however, it takes many months to collect and adapt the virus before it can be administered, and even longer before it can begin clinical trials (2). What makes Moderna special is that they use mRNA vaccines that can be made in a matter of days, which is exactly what was needed during the time of the pandemic. The company uses messenger RNA, which functions by carrying genetic information taken from DNA to the cytoplasm, where it is then sent to the ribosomes, which work to create proteins. To build a vaccine, Moderna utilizes the genetic sequence of a virus to encode a targeted protein (3). The same genetic code is used to create a synthetic mRNA strand. This is the vital component in distinguishing mRNA vaccines from traditional vaccines: mRNA vaccines do not require the actual virus. After injection, the production of antibodies begins, creating a resistance to the virus (4).

Prior to the creation of the COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna was developing a vaccine for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Once work on the coronavirus vaccine began, the team quickly realized that the genetic sequence of COVID-19 and MERS were immensely similar. This allowed Moderna to have a record-breaking lab development time (3). Usually, it takes five to ten years for vaccines to move to human trials (5). However, Moderna managed to begin trials on humans after only sixty-three days (3). The vaccine was granted fast approval from the FDA due to the worldwide pandemic at hand (1). The team began development on January 13th 2020, and the product was available by November (6). This has gone down in history as the fastest vaccine development ever (7). This innovative technology will now continue to be used in the future, allowing for vaccines to be created with efficient timing, whether that may be due to a global pandemic at hand or just a need for swift development.

Bibliography

  1. Neilson, S., Dunn, A., & Bendix, A. (2020, December 19). Moderna designed its coronavirus vaccine in just 2 days. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from Business Insider website: https://www.businessinsider.com/moderna-designed-coronavirus-vaccine-in-2-days-2020-11
  2. What Makes an RNA Vaccine Different From a Conventional Vaccine? | Pfizer. (2022). Retrieved January 18, 2025, from Pfizer.com website: https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/what_makes_an_rna_vaccine_different_from_a_conventional_vaccine
  3. ‌Sloan, M. (2020, April 3). How Moderna is racing to a coronavirus vaccine | MIT Sloan. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from MIT Sloan website: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/how-moderna-racing-to-a-coronavirus-vaccine
  4. COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Production. (2021). Retrieved February 4, 2025, from Genome.gov website: https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/COVID-19-mRNA-Vaccine-Production
  5. Vaccine Research & Development – Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. (2023). Retrieved January 16, 2025, from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center website: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/vaccines/timeline#:~:text=Typical%20Timeline,vaccine%20doses%20for%20widespread%20distribution.
  6. ‌EX-99.1. (2020). Retrieved January 19, 2025, from Sec.gov website: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1682852/000119312520074867/d884510dex991.htm
  7. ‌The fastest vaccine in history. (2020, December 10). Retrieved January 19, 2025, from Uclahealth.org website: https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/the-fastest-vaccine-in-history

Images

  1.  https://www.facebook.com/HealthPolicyWatch. (2023, August 2). Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Safest For Older People – Health Policy Watch. Retrieved February 1, 2025, from Health Policy Watch website: https://healthpolicy-watch.news/modernas-covid-vaccine-safest-older-people/
  2. ‌Early results from Moderna coronavirus vaccine trial help to spark a big rally on Wall St. – The Boston Globe. (2016). Retrieved February 1, 2025, from BostonGlobe.com website: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/18/nation/moderna-says-first-stage-study-coronavirus-vaccine-shows-its-potential/

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