Perspectives and Prospects on mRNA Vaccine Development for COVID-19

Background: The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, since first reported in Wuhan, has inspired worldwide efforts to develop effective COVID-19 vaccination strategies. mRNA vaccines encoding COVID-19 antigens have emerged prominantlyin this global race due to their high effectiveness and simple manufacturing process. Notably, two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2, have survived in clinical trials and been authorized for emergency use across variouscountries. Summary: Recent advances on mRNA vaccine development for COVID-19 are discussed in this perspective, including sequence design, chemical modification, manufacturing process, and in vivo delivery. Phase I to IV clinical trials of mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 are then summarized, respectively. Conclusion: Using mRNA vaccines is a promising strategy to achieve mass vaccination in the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that future studies of mRNA vaccine technology will overcome existing limitations and help people cope with COVID-19.