Rare Hematology News

Advertisement

Spotlight On

mRNA technology

Messenger RNA, or mRNA, was discovered in the early 1960s. mRN is a single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, and is read by a ribosome in the process of synthesizing a protein. The administration of a nucleoside-modified messenger RNA sequence can cause a cell to make a specfic protein, which can treat a disease or function as a vaccine

5 Facts you should know

FACT

1

mRNA, or messenger ribonucleic acid, is a single-stranded RNA molecule that carries the genetic information that is derived from DNA

FACT

2

RNA is a single strand of code letters (nucleotides), while DNA is double-stranded. The RNA code contains uracil (U) instead of thymine (T)

FACT

3

The structural features of the mRNA – the U in the code, its single-stranded shape, ribose sugar and its specific sequence – are responsible for its short half-life

FACT

4

mRNA provides the “code” for almost about any protein – which makes it valuable for the treatment (or prevention) of diseases

FACT

5

The primary challenges of RNA therapy center on delivering the RNA to the appropriate cells

mRNA technology is also known as...

mRNA technology is also known as:

  • Messenger ribonucleic acid technology

What’s your Rare IQ?

Which four nucleobases compose the structure of the RNA molecule?