Last summer, Mikael Dolsten, head of research and development at Pfizer and the company’s top scientist, was thinking of new uses for the messenger RNA technology the pharmaceutical giant had developed so effectively for its coronavirus vaccine.
The drugmaker already envisioned messenger RNA, or mRNA as it’s commonly known, as a foundation for improved vaccines for influenza and other infectious diseases, but saw broader potential. At the top of Pfizer’s list was base editing, a more precise form of gene editing that can be carried out inside the body using mRNA as an intermediary.
