Larisa Karpenko, a senior researcher at the Russian Vector Center for Virology, reported that the center's experts have developed experimental messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against swine and bird flu.
The researcher explained, during the Bioengineering and Biopharmaceuticals Conference held in Novosibirsk from July 28 to 31, 2026, that these vaccines have proven their ability to protect laboratory animals from viral infection.
She said: “Experimental mRNA-based vaccines developed to combat COVID-19, seasonal influenza AH1N1 (subtype B), and highly pathogenic avian influenza H5Nx have shown their ability to stimulate a specific immune response and protect laboratory animals from viral infection.”
She added that these vaccines carry the genetic instructions necessary to stimulate an immune response against pathogens, as they encode a protein specific to the targeted pathogen. In addition to messenger RNA (mRNA), they also contain a lipid envelope that protects the molecules from degradation and facilitates their entry into cells.
She explained that once messenger RNA (mRNA) enters a cell, its natural mechanisms begin producing the coded protein, which acts as an antigen recognized by the immune system, thus generating specific immunity. Upon subsequent exposure to the actual pathogen, the immune system quickly recognizes and eliminates it, helping to prevent disease progression.
