Reference no: EM133503284
Problem
The first clinical trial of an mRNA vaccine against infectious disease was conducted in 2013 (NCT02241135) and was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel rabies vaccine designed to deliver an mRNA encoding its glycoprotein. These evaluations revealed that treatment with this vaccine elicited functional antibodies targeting these viral antigens, demonstrating a clear proof of principle for this technology29. Finally, the first mRNA-based vaccine against an infectious disease, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was approved by the majority of the world in 2020. This brief description demonstrates the rich history of RNA therapeutics and shows that recent achievements in mRNA vaccines were made possible by the results of many studies completed over more than a four-decade span.
The first clinical trial of an mRNA vaccine against infectious disease was conducted in 2013 (NCT02241135) and was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel rabies vaccine designed to deliver an mRNA encoding its glycoprotein. These evaluations revealed that treatment with this vaccine elicited functional antibodies targeting these viral antigens, demonstrating a clear proof of principle for this technology29. Finally, the first mRNA-based vaccine against an infectious disease, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was approved by the majority of the world in 2020. This brief description demonstrates the rich history of RNA therapeutics and shows that recent achievements in mRNA vaccines were made possible by the results of many studies completed over more than a four-decade span.
Question 1. According to the author, what was the first infectious disease for which an mRNA vaccine was tested in a clinical trial and what were the findings from the study with respect to the impact on the immune system of the participants?
Question 2. Which class of immune cell will likely have been responsible for the impact of the vaccine on the immune system of the participants, and how do these cells have an impact?
Question 3. Which clinical trial phases test the activity and efficacy of a drug? What are the main differences between these phases?