mRNA vaccinesTwo of the experimental vaccines use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. These vaccines use nanoparticles to deliver genetic sequences encoding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which the virus uses to bind to human cells.
Cells can then display these proteins to trigger an immune response.The vaccine candidate mRNA-1273 is being jointly developed by researchers at NIAID and the biotechnology company Moderna, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Scientists were already working on experimental vaccines for related coronaviruses, so they were able to quickly pivot to target SARS-CoV-2.