Don’t reinvent the wheel is a common idiom meaning do not duplicate efforts to create something when a basic method has already been created or optimized to improve the outcome.  A young Anthony J. D’Angelo was quoted as saying “don’t reinvent the wheel, just realign it.” At the age of 23, Tony D’Angelo in 1995 decided to challenge the mindset of higher education. He felt that colleges were handing out degrees but not really educating young adults to function in the world. Based on his own educational experience in college, he felt as if he learned more about life from his activities and involvement than from his courses. He challenged the status quo of higher education with “creating a life worth living.” His voice was heard by many and his efforts started changing the thoughts of college administrators and faculty. His group continues today with consultants who belong to a group known as the Collegiate Empowerment. He took his concepts and realigned higher education.

Likewise, the science behind mRNA started back in the 1960s with the first discovery of mRNA in a lab in 1965. At the same time, scientists had created the first liposomes known as fat bubbles in the lab. Rather than reinvent the wheel, scientists continue to align the use of both mRNA and liposomes. In 1970, some of the first drugs were embedded into liposomes to deliver drugs to patients. When I worked as a pharmacist on the oncology unit at a Columbus hospital, I remember preparing a drug called doxorubicin for our cancer patients. It was not hard to forget because it was a bright red color in the syringe. It was a highly effective chemotherapy agent but it had some nasty side effects that included the heart and the kidneys. Doxorubicin was one of the first drugs approved by the FDA to be put into a liposomal form (deliver through fat bubbles). By realigning the wheel, we were able to give patients an effective drug with less toxic effects to normal cells in the kidneys and the heart. In 1978, the first research was performed that wrapped mRNA into liposomes that stimulated the research for today’s mRNA vaccines.  Cancer was the target for mRNA liposomes in the late 1970s and beyond, but in early 2020, SARS-CoV-2 became the enemy.

Science is once again realigning the wheel with technology that could provide major advances in therapies. On February 14, 2022, Bavarian Nordic was given Breakthrough Therapy status by the FDA for a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine in adults. The FDA gives this designation based on preliminary clinical data that shows evidence of substantial improvement over available therapies. RSV is a serious virus causing 177,525 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths in adults over the age of 65 each year, which is similar to the flu. RSV can occur at any age but is extremely dangerous in children under two years of age and the elderly. RSV cases had an alarming spike during the summer of 2021 during COVID-19, but because of the pandemic news, it went mostly unheard. RSV lacks effective therapies for all ages. Four different companies are working on vaccines to prevent RSV including an mRNA vaccine by Moderna that has been given Fast Track status by the FDA. Fast Track is provided when therapies are being developed for a serious condition or an unmet medical need.  

As researchers continue to align the wheel, other mRNA technologies are being studied to treat or prevent certain conditions. Moderna has research evaluating mRNA vaccines to combat the flu virus. as well as the Zika virus, the HIV virus, and the cytomegalovirus. Moderna has several mRNA vaccines in the pipeline to treat cancer such as melanoma, solid tumors, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pancreatic, and colon cancer. BioNTech (partnered with Pfizer for the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine) is investigating mRNA vaccines for treatment of ovarian cancer, as well as advanced melanoma. CureVac, a German company with a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine approved by the World Health Organization, is evaluating mRNA technology for both rabies and NSCLC.  

The beauty of realigning the wheel rather than reinventing it has the possibility to move science and medicine forward to conquer some devastating diseases. Embracing the scientific advancements of medicine could provide a bright future for finding ways to cure cancer and other viruses. 

Feel free to call the ONU HealthWise Pharmacy at 419-772-3784 for the science on COVID-19. ONU HealthWise is offering COVID-19 and flu vaccines Monday through Friday from 4 pm to 6 pm. Call the pharmacy for an appointment for other time slots. The ONU HealthWise pharmacy offers Moderna, Pfizer, Janssen and flu shots and high-dose flu vaccines. Pediatric Pfizer vaccines (5 to 11-years) are available by appointment through the state Vaccine Management Solution (VMS) system.

ONU HealthWise Pharmacy
419-772-3784
www.onuhealthwisepharmacy.com