Scientist behind Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccine technology explains what it’s made of

With Covid-19 vaccines expected within weeks, the scientist behind experimental technology used by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna explains what will be baked into the first batch off the production line.

Dr Drew Weissman, a professor in the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, pioneered the vaccine formula called Messenger RNA (mRNA) and collaborated with Pfizer and BioNTech on their version of the vaccine.

He told The Independent that the vaccine, unlike any that has been developed previously, contains a new technology that delivers genetic code - or directions - that instructs the body to create a copy of the Covid-19 virus protein, which prompts an immune response.

"The mRNA is produced by an enzyme that copies DNA that contains the protein to be produced," Mr Weissman said.