On April 18, 2022, Harvard Business Review published an article suggesting that mRNA technology could give rise to a new industry ecosystem, with profound implications for pharmaceutical innovation and drug development.

As early as 2018, C&EN magazine's article "Can mRNA disrupt the drug industry?" sparked widespread discussion—a topic that looks prescient today.

We know that proteins are closely linked to disease—over 90% of human diseases are protein-related. Traditional drugs mostly work by modulating protein function through small molecules or biologics, requiring deep understanding of both disease mechanisms and the molecules that can modify target proteins. mRNA-based drug development offers a more direct and efficient approach: mRNA directly guides protein synthesis. By designing and optimizing mRNA sequences and using different delivery methods, cells can produce the required proteins on demand—enabling tasks such as eliminating invading bacteria or viruses, clearing cancer cells, and correcting abnormal protein expression.

In theory, mRNA can express any protein, making it a highly promising candidate for treating virtually all protein-based diseases and enabling precise, personalized treatment. Unlike small-molecule chemical drugs or large-molecule biologics, mRNA is the "commander" that directs cells to produce proteins. Developing mRNA therapeutics is akin to drawing a blueprint for building a drug factory inside the human body—by programming RNA sequences, cells become miniature drug manufacturing plants capable of producing specific proteins with systemic therapeutic effects.

Compared with current therapies, mRNA offers several inherent advantages: it does not enter the nucleus, does not alter the genome, has only transient activity, and is degraded through normal physiological metabolism. These attributes have earned mRNA treatment the description "opening a pharmacy inside your body," enabling the body to "heal itself."

Drug development is traditionally highly specialized and customized—targeting one disease-specific molecule does not apply to another. By building mRNA technology platforms that enable shared R&D systems, development timelines can be shortened, costs reduced, and efficiency improved—potentially driving a broader transformation in pharmaceutical innovation.