It took a global pandemic to accomplish one of the most significant advances in the history of vaccinology: widespread, commercial deployment of vaccines derived from nucleic acids. As of this writing, hundreds of millions of people have been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. And most of those shots have been the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna offerings, which are both of a type known as an mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccine. DNA vaccines come with a major challenge, however. When administered with an ordinary hypodermic needle, they've conferred only weak immunity, at best, in many human studies. But if a small, ambitious Pennsylvania company backed by the U.S. Department of Defense succeeds in its clinical trials, DNA vaccines-enabled by a new delivery technology-could soon join the fight against COVID-19, and a host of other viral illnesses.The company, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, is using a technique known as electroporation, in which an electrical pulse applied to the skin briefly opens channels in cells to allow the vaccine to enter. After a standard vaccine injection, Inovio's electroporation device, which looks like an electric toothbrush, is held against the skin. At the press of a button, a weak electric field pulses into the arm, opening channels into the cells. The tool gives DNA vaccines the boost they need to work in humans-or so the company says. It's an engineering solution to a biological problem.

中文翻译：

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疫苗走向电动：手持式小工具可能开创疫苗新时代


全球大流行才实现了疫苗学史上最重大的进步之一：核酸疫苗的广泛商业部署。截至撰写本文时，已有数亿人接种了 SARS-CoV-2（导致 COVID-19 的病毒）疫苗。其中大部分疫苗是辉瑞 BioNTech 和 Moderna 产品，它们都属于 mRNA（信使 RNA）疫苗类型。然而，DNA 疫苗也面临着重大挑战。在许多人类研究中，当用普通的皮下注射针头注射时，它们充其量只能带来微弱的免疫力。但是，如果美国国防部支持的一家雄心勃勃的宾夕法尼亚州小公司在临床试验中取得成功，那么通过新的递送技术实现的 DNA 疫苗可能很快就会加入对抗 COVID-19 和许多其他病毒性疾病的斗争中。 Inovio Pharmaceuticals 公司正在使用一种称为电穿孔的技术，其中施加到皮肤的电脉冲会短暂地打开细胞中的通道，以便疫苗进入。标准疫苗注射后，Inovio 的电穿孔设备（看起来像电动牙刷）紧贴皮肤。按下按钮，微弱的电场就会脉冲进入手臂，打开进入细胞的通道。该工具为 DNA 疫苗提供了在人体中发挥作用所需的动力——至少该公司是这么说的。这是生物问题的工程解决方案。