The approved COVID-19 vaccines developed by Moderna and the Pfizer and BioNTech partnership use genetic material called messenger RNA to effectively transform the body’s own cells into vaccine factories. This approach is a first for vaccines. It relies on decades of clinical research into whether messenger RNA technology can be used to treat a broad range of ailments, from cancer to the seasonal flu. Naomi Kresge explores whether the validation of this breakthrough technology during COVID-19 could bring about a whole new field of medicine.

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