From Vaccines to Pesticides, the RNA Era Is Opening

RNA has moved from an obscure scientific term to a technology with applications in medicine and agriculture. The change began in public awareness with messenger RNA vaccines, which use genetic instructions to make a viral protein and prompt the immune system to respond.

The technology is now being tested against cancer. Moderna developed a personalized mRNA vaccine that identifies mutated proteins on an individual patient’s cancer cells and carries the genetic information for those targets. The aim is to help the immune system eliminate cancer cells that may remain after treatment. A phase 3 trial reportedly found a meaningful reduction in the risk of recurrence and metastasis.

Because the vaccine targets mutations unique to each patient’s cancer, it represents a highly personalized treatment. The reported price, around 700 million won, could limit access to a very small number of people even if regulators approve it. The columnist nevertheless suggests that cancer vaccination after surgery could become standard treatment in a later generation.

RNA is also moving into crop protection. On Aug. 12, Mexican authorities approved sales of Ovipirax, described as the world’s first RNA fungicide. It targets the fungus that causes powdery mildew in grapes by destroying messenger RNA essential to the pathogen’s survival. Without that messenger RNA, the fungus cannot produce the required protein and dies.

Unlike conventional chemical pesticides, which can harm ecosystems through broad-spectrum killing, RNA interference pesticides are designed to act on the messenger RNA sequences found in the targeted pathogen. The columnist presents both technologies as precise medicines based on genetic information, offering a more selective approach to human health and sustainable agriculture.

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You have to believe in science.