Kim V. Narry, director of the Center for RNA Research of the Institute for Basic Science and chair professor at the Department of Life Sciences of Seoul National University, on April 2 holds a news conference at her school in Seoul's Gwanak-gu District on the working principles of mRNA vaccines in a world first. (Yonhap News)

By Koh Hyunjeong

A research team has achieved a world first by discovering the principles of how messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines work.

The finding is expected to enhance the efficiency of mRNA treatment and decrease side effects. The mRNA approach is anticipated to emerge as a new platform for treating disease.

The Ministry of Science and ICT on April 4 said a research team led by Kim V. Narry, director of the Center for RNA Research at the Institute for Basic Science, discovered a group of proteins that controls the intracellular delivery and degradation of mRNA vaccines via CRISPR, or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, knock-out screening and identified the mRNA's working principles.

"This is the first discovery of proton ions acting as molecules that send immune signals," she said. "This is expected to offer new research directions not only in RNA but also immunity and cell signaling."

mRNA-based technology is considered a new treatment platform for response to infectious disease, vaccination against cancer, immunity and gene therapy.

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