- The BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine is based on a 4284-character digital code that is synthesized into DNA and later converted into RNA for injection.
- mRNA vaccines teach the immune system to recognize the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein without causing illness, using a highly precise genetic approach.
- The vaccine uses a modified nucleotide, 1-methyl-3'-pseudouridine, to avoid immune detection while remaining functional in cells.
- The vaccine code includes a 5' untranslated region (UTR) for ribosome binding and a signal peptide to direct the spike protein to the endoplasmic reticulum.
- Most codons in the vaccine are synonymously optimized to include more G and C nucleotides, enhancing protein production efficiency.
- Two proline substitutions (K and V to P) in the spike protein stabilize it in a prefusion conformation, boosting vaccine effectiveness.
- The vaccine ends with a poly-A tail, including 30 A's, a 10-nucleotide linker, and 70 more A's, to protect mRNA from degradation.
- The entire vaccine is a codon-optimized, modified RNA sequence designed to produce a stable spike protein and trigger a strong immune response.