Why Does the Phrase “mRNA” Rip Americans Apart? We Chat w Nobel-Prize Winning Scientist Drew Weissman

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It’s the four letters that changed our lives: M-R-N-A.
Hailed as a modern medical miracle that delivered the life-saving COVID vaccine in record time, mRNA now fuels one of the most polarizing debates in public health. Critics see it as a dangerous experiment that has turned deadly, a symbol of Big Pharma overreach, and a culture of corporate capture within our regulatory agencies that places profits over health and safety. Supporters call it our best hope against new viruses and possibly for the deadliest diseases we face—from cancer to diabetes, even Alzheimer’s.

Today, we unpack a growing backlash that is driving down childhood vaccination rates, leading to cuts in mRNA research, and prompting different states to pass laws restricting its use. The mistrust was on display this week as RFK Jr. fired a key committee of experts that evaluates vaccines.

Our guest today is Dr. Drew Weissman, who, along with Dr Katalin Kariko, won the Nobel Prize for revolutionizing mRNA technology. We’ll dive into why their breakthrough has become a lightning rod—and whether the controversy could derail our best shot at curing tomorrow’s worst diseases.

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Chapters

1. Why Does the Phrase “mRNA” Rip Americans Apart? We Chat w Nobel-Prize Winning Scientist Drew Weissman (00:00:00)

2. Intro and Headlines: mRNA: A Lightning Rod (00:00:43)

3. Tom: How Did We Get Here, re the mRNA story? (00:03:10)

4. What is mRNA? (00:03:24)

5. Spike Protein, the Bad Guy of Covid (00:05:20)

6. How Did We Figure Out How to Use mRNA This Way? (00:09:57)

7. Drew Weissman and Katalin Kariko (00:11:30)

8. The Controversies Around mRNA (00:13:25)

9. Is It Still a Vaccine If It Doesn't Prevent Infection? (00:19:48)

10. Welcome Dr. Drew Weissman! (00:24:06)

11. Addressing the Claims About mRNA (00:26:10)

12. Calling this a Covid Vaccine (00:37:57)

13. Vaccination Policies (00:42:23)

14. mRNA Technology For Other Therapies and Cures (00:44:08)

15. Se. Kennedy on Gene Therapy (00:48:56)

16. Conflicts of Interest (00:51:12)

17. Speaking to the Americans Who Need Reassuring About this Technology (00:58:21)

18. Thank you Dr. Weissman! (01:04:38)

55 episodes

#Science #News Talk #News #Brinda Adhikari #Dr. Mark Abdelmalek #Maggie Bartlett #Public Health #Vaccine #Covid #Pandemic