# How Modified RNA Tricks Cells Into Making Proteins Without Triggering Attacks > A breakthrough method for using modified RNA to deliver instructions to cells without causing the body to reject the treatment as a foreign invader. - **Patent:** US 8278036 - **Original title:** RNA containing modified nucleosides and methods of use thereof - **Owner:** University of Pennsylvania Penn - **Granted:** 2012 - **Status:** Public domain (expired) - **Times cited:** 322 - **Field:** biotech, pharmaceutical ## What it does This patent describes a way to make synthetic RNA molecules that look and act like natural RNA so the body's immune system doesn't attack them. By replacing the standard building block uridine with a modified version called pseudouridine, the RNA avoids triggering the cell's internal alarm systems, such as Toll-like receptors. This allows the cell to read the RNA instructions and produce a specific protein, like erythropoietin, without the cell shutting down or releasing inflammatory cytokines. The method includes synthesizing this RNA in a lab and delivering it to cells, often inside protective lipid nanoparticles. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover naturally occurring RNA found in the body. - Does not cover unmodified RNA that triggers a standard immune response. - Does not cover DNA-based gene therapy or viral vector delivery systems that do not use the specified modified RNA. - Does not claim the specific protein being encoded, only the method of using modified RNA to induce its production. ## The clever bit The inventors realized that the immune system's hostility toward synthetic RNA wasn't a bug, but a feature—it was detecting the lack of specific chemical modifications found in natural RNA. By simply swapping one building block, they turned a 'foreign' signal into a 'self' signal. ## Real-world examples 1. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine 2. Moderna COVID-19 vaccine 3. Experimental mRNA cancer vaccines ## Why it matters This technology is the foundation for modern mRNA vaccines, including those used against COVID-19. Before this discovery by Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman, synthetic RNA was largely ignored by the medical community because it was too inflammatory to be useful as a therapy. It effectively unlocked the potential of RNA as a programmable medicine. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How Modified RNA Tricks Cells Into Making Proteins Without Triggering Attacks cover? A breakthrough method for using modified RNA to deliver instructions to cells without causing the body to reject the treatment as a foreign invader. ### Who owns patent US 8278036? University of Pennsylvania Penn owns this patent, granted in 2012. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on August 21, 2026, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 8278036 cited by? This patent has been cited by 322 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This technology is the foundation for modern mRNA vaccines, including those used against COVID-19. Before this discovery by Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman, synthetic RNA was largely ignored by the medical community because it was too inflammatory to be useful as a therapy. It effectively unlocked the potential of RNA as a programmable medicine. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover naturally occurring RNA found in the body. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8278036/rna-containing-modified-nucleosides-and-methods-of-use-thereof **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US8278036 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How Moderna's mRNA Vaccine Technology Targets Betacoronaviruses](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10702600/betacoronavirus-mrna-vaccine) — A patent describing a specific mRNA vaccine design that uses lipid nanoparticles to deliver genetic instructions for building parts of a betacoronavirus to trigger an immune response. - [How CRISPR-Cas9 Uses RNA to Edit DNA](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10113167/methods-and-compositions-for-rna-directed-target-dna-modification-and-for-rna-directed-modulation-of-transcription) — This patent describes the fundamental mechanism of using a two-part RNA system to guide the Cas9 protein to specific locations in DNA for precise editing. - [How an mRNA Vaccine Targets Prostate Cancer with Six Antigens](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20160166668/composition-and-vaccine-for-treating-prostate-cancer) — This patent describes an mRNA vaccine designed to treat prostate cancer by delivering genetic instructions for a specific combination of six prostate-related proteins, teaching the body to fight the cancer. - [How to Edit Genes in Human Cells Using an Engineered CRISPR System](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8697359/crispr-gene-editing) — This patent describes an engineered CRISPR-Cas9 system for precisely cutting DNA in eukaryotic cells to change how genes work, opening the door for gene editing in complex organisms. - [How Synthetic Peptides Block Immune System Overreaction](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10106579/orkambi-lumacaftor-ivacaftor) — A patent describing specific synthetic peptides designed to stop the body's immune system from attacking healthy cells by blocking a protein called C5.