mRNA: The next health revolution

Years ago, scientists from all over the world started dreaming about the infinite, ground-breaking, possible applications of messenger RNA. The COVID-19 vaccine put a spotlight on a technology that could revolutionise medicine and have implications across a range of diseases such as HIV, rare diseases, and cancer. From a research standpoint, what are the potential mRNA applications?

In Europe, health policy has never seen so much movement. The rewrite of the Pharmaceutical Strategy, the mid-term review of Horizon Europe – the biggest EU programme for research and innovation ever, the foreseen launch of a new public-private partnership in pandemic preparedness, the new “Important project of common European interest’ (IPCEI) for the health industry, the launch of a “health data space” for sharing medical and scientific data, a new health emergency agency, HERA, and a dedicated health programme, EU4Health, create a momentum for innovation in health.

In parallel, new medical technologies, from cutting-edge oncology and immunotherapies to mRNA and CRISPR gene editing, offer unprecedented opportunities to save lives and improve health outcomes. On the digital side, artificial intelligence and the more systematic use of health data can improve the delivery of healthcare and medicines worldwide, the way we discover, develop and approve treatments.

To assess how the EU policy environment can allow to fully take advantage of the mRNA technology, several key questions arise: 

• What is the state of play of mRNA research in Europe and elsewhere? How far can mRNA technology go?
• Drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented speed to produce and manufacture the mRNA-based vaccine, how has mRNA transformed the way medicine and healthcare work?
• How can mRNA contribute to preventing and addressing some of the leading public health challenges in Europe and the world? 
• Is the way the EU regulates medicine “future-proof”? With a new Pharmaceutical Package in the works, what are the policy steps needed to accelerate ground-breaking applications from the latest scientific – including mRNA-based - innovations?

Science|Business, with the support of Moderna, is assembling a group of high-level experts to discuss the progress made to date in the field of research around mRNA, its perceived value by research organisations, national governments and cross-border institutions (e.g. European Commission, European Parliament, European Investment Bank, CEPI), and identify possible stumbling blocks that need to be addressed to unlock the innovation potential of what many consider as the next revolution in health.