What are mRNA vaccines? How do they work and why are they considered revolutionary? This and much more in this episode of the Viral Talk.
Key Takeaways:
- Vaccines work by introducing an element that resembles a pathogen into our body, so that our immune system can learn to counter it without the need to get infected first.
- Vaccination induces our body to produce antibodies, which are tiny proteins that recognise and attach themselves to the pathogen.
- mRNA vaccines are a relatively new technology that inject into our body the instructions (messenger RNA) to produce one or more proteins of the pathogen they target.
- COVID-19 mRNA vaccines give the cell the instructions to produce the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, which is 'used' by the virus to enter inside the cells. In this way, when the virus infects a vaccinated person, antibodies will attach onto the Spike protein of the virus and prevent it from getting inside our cells.
- The mRNA vaccine technology has been in development for more than a decade and was initially thought to vaccinate against cancer.
- mRNA vaccines are faster to produce, more flexible and easier to update compared to other traditional vaccines.
- COVID-19 vaccines do not give people COVID-19, as they do not contain virus particles.
- COVID-19 vaccines were produced so quickly because vast amounts of resources and money were put in their development from the get-go. No corners were cut in the experimental phase and many studies suggest that they provide very high protection against severe COVID-19 disease.
- COVID-19 vaccines do not contain fetal elements, microchips, trackers or other dangerous elements.
- The biggest components of COVID-19 vaccines are water, sugar, lipids and mRNA, in this order.
For your interest:
How do vaccines work?- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SKmAlQtAj8&ab_channel=naturevideo
mRNA vaccines review - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41573-021-00283-5
Efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine - DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2035389
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