Messenger RNA Timeline
1961
Discovery of mRNA
1963
Discovery of interferon induction by mRNA
1969
First in vitro translation of isolated mRNA
1978
Development of liposome-mediated mRNA delivery
1984
In vitro transcription of mRNA
1990
Demonstration that naked mRNA injected into mice is translated
1992
Vasopressin mRNA injected to rat brain corrects disease
1995
First vaccinations with mRNAs encoding cancer antigens
1999
First anti-tumor T cell response after injection of mRNA in vivo
2001
Initiation of first clinical trial with mRNA using ex vivo transfected dendritic cells
2005
Discovery that nucleoside-modified RNA is non-immunogenic
2009
First human cancer immunotherapy using direct injection of mRNA
2010
iPSC generation with mRNA
2011
Nucleoside-modified mRNA corrects disease in preclinical study
2015
Moderna doses first subject in a clinical trial with mRNA investigational medicine
2017
First reports of mRNA-LNP formulation for in vivo vaccines against the Zika virus
2018
Moderna announces dosing of 755 subjects across 10 potential mRNA medicines to treat cancers, influenza, Chikungunya, and respiratory syncytial virus, among other disorders and diseases
2020
Moderna meets its primary efficacy endpoint in the first interim analysis of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate in its Phase 3 study