Promise of in vivo drug production sets off an mRNA arms race

Biotech researchers have long strived to use the body's natural resources to treat disease, whether by galvanizing the immune system or spurring the production of helpful materials. And thanks to some recent breakthroughs, a bevy of companies are pushing forward with messenger RNA, or mRNA, projects designed to turn human cells into in vivo drug factories. As Reuters notes, private biotechs CureVac, Moderna Therapeutics and BioNTech are developing mRNA treatments that can key the production of therapeutic proteins inside the body, raising hundreds of millions of dollars in venture investments and partnering dollars along the way. More