Two weeks ago, Japan became the first country in the world to approve a new self-amplifying mRNA (“sa-mRNA”) vaccine. With approval for the vaccine secured in Japan, its developers are now seeking authorisation in Europe; a regulatory decision is expected next year.
Self-amplifying RNA (“saRNA”) is engineered to make more copies of itself once delivered into cells. It encodes both the antigen of interest – for example, the covid spike protein – and proteins which enable vaccine RNA replication.