Moderna facts for kids
Moderna is a company from the United States. It is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This company uses science to create new medicines and vaccines. They focus on using a special kind of genetic material called messenger RNA (mRNA).
In November 2020, Moderna was worth a lot of money, about $35 billion. At that time, they hadn't sold any medicines yet. However, their COVID-19 vaccine was almost ready for people to use.
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What is Moderna?
Moderna is a biotechnology company. This means they use living things and biology to make new products. Their main goal is to find and develop new medicines. They also work on new types of vaccines.
How Moderna Makes Medicines
Moderna's main way of making medicines is by using messenger RNA, or mRNA. mRNA is like a set of instructions for your body's cells. These instructions tell your cells how to make certain proteins.
What is mRNA?
Think of DNA as a big cookbook with all the recipes for your body. mRNA is like a single recipe card copied from that cookbook. It carries instructions from your DNA to the parts of your cell that make proteins. Proteins are important building blocks for your body.
Moderna uses mRNA to tell your body to make specific proteins. For example, in their COVID-19 vaccine, the mRNA tells your cells to make a harmless piece of the virus. Your body then learns to recognize this piece. This helps your immune system fight off the real virus later.
Moderna's Work
Moderna works on different types of medicines and vaccines. They are always looking for new ways to treat diseases. Their research includes areas like:
- Vaccines for different viruses
- Treatments for certain diseases
- New ways to deliver medicines to the body
The COVID-19 Vaccine
One of Moderna's most well-known projects is its COVID-19 vaccine. This vaccine was developed very quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It uses mRNA technology to help protect people from the virus. The vaccine teaches your body to make antibodies. Antibodies are special proteins that fight off infections.
Company History
Moderna was started in 2010. It is a relatively new company in the world of medicine. They have grown very fast, especially because of their work on mRNA technology. They became a public company in 2018. This means people could buy shares of their company.
See also
In Spanish: Moderna (compañía) para niños
