Decades of progress have led to safe, immunogenic, and efficacious mRNA vaccines.

mRNA technology offers several advantages as a vaccine platform.

Clinical efficacy and real-world effectiveness data are available for mRNA vaccines.

Many mRNA vaccines against infectious diseases have advanced to clinical testing.

Future prospects are very encouraging and further advancements are anticipated.

Over the past two decades, scientific and technological advancements have revealed messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based vaccines as a well-tolerated and effective platform to combat infectious disease. The potential of mRNA-based vaccines was epitomized during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic, wherein mRNA-based vaccines were rapidly developed and found highly efficacious with an acceptable safety profile. These properties together with the capability to quickly address pathogens of pandemic potential, pathogens with complex antigens, and multiple pathogens within a single vaccine have revitalized the field, and multiple mRNA-based vaccines have now entered clinical development. This review summarizes current mRNA-based vaccine technology, perspectives on ongoing clinical studies, and future prospects for the field.

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