Kariko's struggle to convince the doubtful IP officer is just one of several near misses that might have stopped the mRNA vaccines from ever being developed. Thanks in part to Moderna's success, the potential of mRNA vaccines also captured the attention of Big Pharma. In this next stage of the story of the Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, the torch passed to Moderna and BioNTech. But by far the biggest disagreement in the wider biotech community is about whether the mRNA Covid-19 will represent a step change in medical development. Yet the undeniable accomplishment of the Covid-19 mRNA vaccines means the field is unlikely to enter another dark age.

Source: New Zealand Herald May 14, 2021 06:00 UTC