For mRNA Vaccines, COVID Was Just the Beginning

mRNA vaccines stopped the COVID-19 pandemic in its tracks. Now, they're poised to help us against the flu, rabies, cancer, and more.

Hosted by: Niba @NotesbyNiba (she/her)

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[tessat]

My elderly cats have been getting an mRNA shot that relieves their arthritis pain. Unfortunately, they have to get it once a month, which means a ride in the car, which they hate. The shot really makes a difference in their comfort and activity level.

[emu]

You guys barely scratched the surface of the advancements that mRNA vaccines can provide. Beyond the ability to selectively turn off immune responses, the biggest one in my opinion is to be able to instruct the immune system to target prions (i.e. misfolded proteins). Before mRNA tech existed we had zero treatments for prions but with mRNA we can instruct the immune system to notice and attack prions.

[therongjr]

I was doing mRNA vaccine preclinical studies almost ten years ago for encephalitic arboviruses!

[Beryllahawk]

My brother is currently in the hospital facing possible amputation (one or both legs) because of an auto-immune problem (something called lymphedema). If there were an mRNA treatment for him, I'd just about lop off my OWN leg to pay for it. I don't think it can be overstated how much even a handful of new therapeutic vaccines would mean to the people who might be cured.

[DanteGabriel-lxbq]

The potential of biotechnology is insane. Today, I would raccomand to those who want to go to college to study either robotics or biotechnology. This technology will drastically change our lives.

[HarryS]

9:30 this is a really bizarre claim to make when considering the billions of government dollars spent to develop and purchase mrna vaccines, including funding of basic research and grants awarded by institutions like the NIH, DARPA, BARDA and others. The NIH itself claimed intellectual ownership of certain key components of the vaccine. How can you make the argument that private companies are MORE likely to fund newer and riskier research when the public was also funding the very companies doing that research since the 80s?

[shubhamchakraborty]

Born too late to explore the oceans. Born too early to explore space. But born in the perfect time to see such mind-blowing medical discoveries!

[eric]

I am really not convinced that this research in the hands of private pharm and its investors will result in anything but insane profits for them until the patent runs out!
* I want science done in the public interest, thanks!*

[Liam_Nielsen]

Public funding was the basis for mRNA vaccines. You should not be praising the fact that often when publicly funded research looks promising we actively encourage people to found private companies based on it. This harms us all in the long run.

[dogfather]

Private companies funded by public money and University research.

[HectaSpyrit]

9:35 I find the claim that private companies, by virtue of being privately funded enterprises, are able to undertake riskier research endeavours, questionable. If anything, the need to provide their private investors a return on their investment would incentivise such companies to not take risk, but instead pursue safer endeavours which have a higher likelihood to maximise the return on investment. In fact, the host of this episode implicitly brings this up when she mentions that during the pandemic, research into mRNA vaccines for conditions than COVID19 was shown less attention by private companies because there was less interest into, and thus less funding for, those conditions.
Surely, if the effort invested into different research endeavours was determined not by their capacity to generate financial wealth, but by a socially defined process of prioritisation, then the result of these efforts would match the socially recognised needs of our society better. In turn, it surely would mean that riskier endeavours would not be neglected if the payoff was recognised as high enough, assuming that less risky avenues that achieve the same outcome are not already available or known.

[janmelantu]

Weird side-benefit to mRNA vaccines: very, very few people are allergic to them. There are some traditional vaccines that are made with eggs, so people with egg allergies can’t always take them.

[johnleecooper]

haha wow private ownership of medical knowledge should not be a thing

[playbagpipes]

You are expounding the myth that private enterprise takes the big risks. The biggest risk (and the largest sums of money spent) is taken by the public with their taxes funding government research that, 9 times out of ten, doesn't pan out. Private enterprise (e.g. pharmaceutical companies) then takes the research that has panned out (for free) and, makes a for-profit product out of it. They then spout the myth that they took all the risk. New laws are being looked at to make sure that the government (the public) reaps back some of that profit that benefited from public funding.

[eric]

I don't know what "thumb" to give this video....fascinating science, but for - profit companies? They do it for their own gain, they always will. In India they made a cheaper vaccine with national funds, in Texas they made a cheaper one designed just for children with Dr. Hotep at his university. They provided the access.

[lauroralei]

The thumbnail title combo definitely made it look like a clickbait piece on how the Covid vaccine increased cancer rates

[aliandher]

Patiently waiting for the melanoma vaccine to hopefully get rid of my reoccurrent melanoma for good. ❤

[OasisMesa]

After having to do chemo for a few months now (about to be in remission), I’m really hopeful about the personalized mRNA vaccines against cancer. Like I’ve had to put life on hold because chemo just wrecked my body. I’m especially excited about how these studies show minimal to no side effects to help the body fight cancer. I’d give anything if this were the norm, I’d be able to get back to living life without like 99% of the worry compared to chemo side effects.

[nancyreid]

I just got done participating in a study of an mRNA avian flu vaccine; I am super pumped about it! Also really happy to do my part.

[BoyceBailey]

Cost in the UK would be £0 or $0 to the patient as we pay via taxes.