The Science Behind mRNA Vaccines: Separating Fact from Fiction

Strategic Insights -

Scientists have been studying mRNA since its discovery in 1961, but its application in vaccines has only recently gained widespread attention. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed concerns about the safety of mRNA vaccines, but mRNA is a naturally occurring molecule used to make every protein in our bodies. Scientists have developed vaccines using mRNA to prevent infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 and RSV, by instructing cells to produce specific viral proteins, which our immune system recognizes and mounts a response against. These vaccines can be made quickly, as the components, other than the RNA sequence, remain the same across different vaccines.

Key Takeaways:

  • mRNA, or messenger RNA, is a large molecule found in all cells, carrying information from DNA to the protein-making machinery.
  • The mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 and RSV work by instructing cells to produce specific viral proteins, which the immune system recognizes and mounts a response against.
  • Most of the mRNA will be gone within a few days, but the body retains a memory of it in the form of antibodies.
  • mRNA vaccines can be made quickly, with the ability to wait until May or June to see which strains are circulating, increasing the likelihood the vaccine will be effective.
  • There are risks associated with mRNA vaccines, including muscle aches and flulike symptoms, but these are expected side effects for vaccines generally.
  • The mRNA vaccines are not incorporated into our genome, as our cells cannot convert the mRNA into DNA.
  • The risk of myocarditis from an mRNA vaccine is far less than the risk of such inflammation from an actual COVID-19 infection.
  • mRNA vaccines are currently being studied for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and rare diseases like cystic fibrosis.

Statistics:

  • It has been over four years since the COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out, with no long-term safety signals.
  • mRNA vaccines are widely used to prevent infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 and RSV.
  • The mRNA vaccines can be made quickly, with the ability to wait until May or June to see which strains are circulating, increasing the likelihood the vaccine will be effective.
  • The risk of myocarditis from an mRNA vaccine is far less than the risk of such inflammation from an actual COVID-19 infection.
  • mRNA vaccines are currently being studied for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and rare diseases like cystic fibrosis.

Sources:

  • "The Science Behind mRNA Vaccines: Separating Fact from Fiction" (The New York Times, 2025)
  • University of Pennsylvania (researchers figured out how to get foreign mRNA into human cells without it degrading first)
  • National Institutes of Health (funding for research on mRNA vaccines)
  • Robert Alexander Wesselhoeft (director of RNA therapeutics at the Gene and Cell Therapy Institute at Mass General Brigham in Boston)
  • Jeff Coller (professor of RNA biology and therapeutics at Johns Hopkins University)
  • Florian Krammer (virologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York)
  • Dr. Adam Ratner (pediatric infectious disease specialist in New York)