Full Description
The Covid-19 pandemic changed the world.
Indeed a real race took place worldwide between SARS-CoV-2 on the one hand and researchers on the other - especially those specializing in messenger RNA vaccines. Four years after its emergence, the pandemic is not over, but some decisive battles have been won, thanks to the great success of mRNA vaccines.
The Marathon of The Messenger presents the history of these mRNA vaccines, combining a scientific background with historical and economic perspectives.
It appears that an important page in the history of these new vaccines was written in Europe, thanks to the crucial work of German and French scientists; this effort began in 1993 and continues to this day. In the face of a prevailing single-mindedness, these researchers pushed through a new therapeutic concept and defined the biotechnological keys that would open the way to the production of therapeutic messenger RNA in the fight against cancer and viral infections.
Written for a broad audience and accompanied by humorous cartoons, this book will appeal to anyone looking for scientific and historical answers about mRNA vaccines. Readers will discover not only the technical and scientific knowledge of how these vaccines work, but also the economic levers that were necessary to create this technology.
This book has been written in collaboration with Dr. Steve Pascolo, former director of CureVac, and the RNA messenger expert Professor Chantal Pichon. It also features a preface by Dr. Pierre Meulien, former director of the European Union public-private partnership Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI).
Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction: The Marathon of the Messenger RNA.- Part I. Messenger RNA, an essential role and challenge.- Chapter 2. A short history of vaccination.- Chapter 3. From DNA to RNA.- Chapter 4. Messenger RNA (mRNA): from transcription to protein translation.- Chapter 5. The mechanism of viral infection.- Chapter 6. The immune response.- Part II. From preliminary studies to clinical trials.- Chapter 7. Promising studies in the 1990s.- Chapter 8. The use of mRNA - the initial technical obstacles.- Chapter 9. The birth of CureVac: the era of the pioneers.- Chapter 10. Solutions for mRNA optimization.- Chapter 11. Modified and unmodified mRNA: for what purpose?.- Chapter 12. Experiments and clinical trials conducted: the power of therapeutic mRNA.- Chapter 13. Experiments and clinical trials against infectious diseases.- Chapter 14. Experiments and clinical trials against cancer.- Chapter 15. Experiments and clinical trials carried out in other therapeutic fields.- Chapter 16. Modified mRNA versus unmodified mRNA: not just a scientific issue.- Part III. The triumph of messenger RNA.- Chapter 17. A very progressive diffusion in scientific circles.- Chapter 18. The development of future biotechs in the 2010s.- Chapter 19. The importance of intellectual property and patents.- Chapter 20. 2020: the triumph of anti-Covid mRNA vaccines.- Chapter 21. mRNA, a technology of the future.
