Table 1.

Comparison of mRNA and LNP formulation elements of three SARS-CoV-2 mRNA LNP vaccines

	BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech)	mRNA-1273 (Moderna)	CVnCoV (CureVac)
Approval Status [48, 49, 50]	FDA Approved August 23, 2021	Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) December 18, 2020	Phase 2b/3 (NCT04652102)
		Submitted for full Approval August 25, 2021
Lipid Formulation (% Molar ratio of Ionizable: Cholesterol: Neutral lipid: PEGylated lipid) [9•]	46.3:42.7:9.4:1.6	50:38.5:10:1.5	50:38.5:10:1.5
N:P Molar Ratio [9•]	6
Cap [51, 52, 53]	Cap-1
5′-UTR [54]	5′ -untranslated region derived from human alpha-globin RNA with an optimized Kozak sequence	Undisclosed	5′ UTR: Artifacts from restriction and transcription site, plus Kozak sequence
S protein antigen [53,55]	Codon-optimized sequence encoding full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein containing mutations K986P and V987P	Codon-optimized sequence encoding full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein containing mutations K986P and V987P	Codon-optimized and engineered sequence encoding full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein containing mutations K986P and V987P
Modified nucleotides [54]	N1-methyl-pseudouridine	N1-methyl-pseudouridine	Unmodified nucleotides
3′-UTR [54]	3′ UTR comprising two sequence elements derived from the amino-terminal enhancer of split (AES) mRNA and the mitochondrial encoded 12S ribosomal RNA	Undisclosed	3′ UTR comprising human alpha-globin 3′ UTR sequence element
Poly(A) Tail [52,53]	A 110-nucleotide poly(A)-tail consisting of a stretch of 30 adenosine residues, followed by a 10-nucleotide linker sequence and another 70 adenosine residues.	Undisclosed	64 Poly (A) tail
Storage [9•,56]	−60°C to −80°C for six months −15°C to −25°C for two weeks 2°C–8°C for 5 days	−15°C to −20°C for six months 2°C–8°C for 30 days	2°C–8°C for three months
Buffer [9•]	PBS	Tris	Undisclosed
Cryoprotectant [9•]	Sucrose	Sucrose	Undisclosed