Technologies

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was first identified in mid-November 2021 and rapidly became the dominant variant in many countries. Spread of the Omicron variant, which led to increased hospitalizations for COVID-19, generated concern about immune evasion and the duration of protection from vaccines developed earlier. Abnova is developing new vaccines for Omicron variant using mRNA vaccine technologies. The structure of the mRNA includes a 5’ cap, the 5’ untranslated region (UTR), the Open Reading Frame (ORF), the 3’ UTR, and the 3’ polyA tail. Synthetic RNA nucleobase N1-methylpseudouridine, which reduces immunogenicity and enhances protein expression, is used in in vitro transcription for the production of mRNA vaccines.