Malone conducted studies on messenger ribonucleic acid (
mRNA) technology, discovering in a landmark experiment that it was possible to transfer mRNA protected by a
liposome into cultured cells to signal the information needed for the production of proteins.
[3][11][4] In 1987, Malone performed experiments on the
transfection of RNA into human, rat, mouse,
Xenopus, and
Drosophila cells, work which was published in 1989.
[3][12] A follow-up study also published in 1989 found that frog embryos absorbed such mRNA. A 1990 paper, in collaboration with
Jon A. Wolff,
Dennis A. Carson, and others, first suggested the possibility of synthesizing mRNA in a laboratory to trigger the production of a desired protein.
[13] These studies are recognized as among the earliest steps towards
mRNA vaccine development.
[3][14][15][16] Malone claims to be the inventor of mRNA vaccines, and while Stan Gromkowski, an early mRNA vaccine researcher and cellular immunologist, views Malone as "an underappreciated pioneer" who could be in contention to win a Nobel Prize for his work,
[1] credit for the distinction is more often given to later advancements by
Katalin Karikó and
Drew Weissman[17][3] or
Moderna co-founder
Derrick Rossi,
[11][18][19] and was ultimately the result of the contributions of hundreds of researchers, including Malone.
[20]