The world’s first mRNA vaccine for deadly bacteria

For the first time in the world a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Institute for Biological Research have developed an mRNA-based vaccine that is 100% effective against a type of bacteria that is lethal to humans. The study, conducted in an animal model, demonstrated that all treated animals were fully protected against the bacteria. According to the researchers, their new technology can enable rapid development of effective vaccines for bacterial diseases, including diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, for example in case of a new fast-spreading pandemic. The study was led by Tel Aviv University’s Dr. Edo Kon and Prof. Dan Peer, VP for R&D and Head of the Laboratory of Precision Nano-Medicine at the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, in collaboration with researchers from the Israel Institute for Biological Research: Dr. Yinon Levy, Uri Elia, Dr. Emanuelle Mamroud, and Dr. Ofer Cohen. The study’s...