Read this and answer the question.
Wonderful real life connections! I think its amazing that were able to take what were learning in this formal academic setting and apply to real world and current events. I was able to work on Modernas’ pediatric mRNA COVID -19 vaccine study at the end of last year and had my first up close and personal encounter with clinical research and administering intramuscular (IM) injections. I think its so important to realize the structural components and mechanisms that help differentiate mRNA based vaccines from regular vaccines.
As stated, all Vaccines do help prevent infection by preparing the body to fight and defend against foreign invaders (such as pathogens). To trigger an immune response, many non mRNA vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. Not mRNA vaccines, as they use viral mRNA created and deactivated in a laboratory to teach our cells how to make a protein—or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. This process more heavily relies on the bodies own natural ability to translate mRNA scripts into complex proteins/antigens.
Live-attenuated or viral-vectored vaccines that we have known and are often familiar with differ, as mRNA vaccines are non-infectious and poses no concern for DNA integration, mainly because it cannot enter the nucleus which contains DNA. Strategies such as protein-based/inactivated vaccines require chemicals and cell cultures to produce, where mRNA is made through a cell-independent process and does not require inactivation; “thus, it poses no safety concerns due to contamination with toxic agents” (Verbeke, 2022). Recent technology has also modified the mRNA to make it more stable/package the molecules into fats (called lipids), increasing cell delivery efficiency! The following advances increase the amount of spike protein produced on your cells, increasing a more effective immune response.
Question: Are there viruses or infections you know about that are currently being treated with experimental mRNA vaccines in clinical trials or government funded projects?
Sources:
Verbeke, R. (n.d.). What are mrna vaccines and how do they work?: Medlineplus Genetics. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/therapy/mrnavaccines/Links to an external site.
How does a mrna vaccine compare to a traditional vaccine? (2020, November 16). Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://www.vumc.org/viiii/infographics/how-does-mrna-vaccine-compare-traditional-vaccineLinks to an external site.
