Recently, scientists have been able to develop a covid-19 vaccine
in response to the latest coronavirus pandemic.
But what exactly is a vaccine? And how does it work?
Well, according to the World Health Organization, a vaccine is a tiny weakened non-dangerous
fragment of a particular organism such as a bacteria or a virus that triggers an immune
response within the body. By introducing the weakened or inactive parts of an organism,
our bodies start to produce antibodies to fight off this unknown threat. This trains our immune
system to recognize and eliminate the actual organism when it tries to enter the body. With
this in mind, let’s examine how scientists around the world managed to create coronavirus vaccines.
Before we dive in though, be sure to subscribe to our channel for more content ahead.
The recent Covid-19 along with SARS and MERS all belong to a family of viruses known as the
Coronavirus (CoV). The Coronavirus gets its name from its outer layer which contains a
particular kind of protein known as a ‘spike protein’ along with a few other types. Since
the spikes resemble a crown, scientists decided to name the family of viruses the Coronavirus.
The reason these spikes are so important to the study of making a vaccine is because
the Coronavirus uses the 3D shape of the spikes to trick our cells and latch on to
the receptors outside. It is then able to enter the body causing severe illness or even death.
Now this happens because as the immune system is trying to figure out whether
the virus is a foreign invader and whether it should attack,
the virus is able to create multiple copies of itself weakening the immune system.
This is where the vaccines play a crucial role.
Introducing weakened or dead viruses to the immune system helps it respond extremely fast
to the foreign invader preventing it from making multiple copies of itself and harming the cells.
In the past, vaccines for things such as Polio and
Measles contained weakened or dead viruses that helped in training the immune system.
But today, vaccines just contain a small part of the virus itself. In particular, the
Covid-19 vaccine contains only the spike protein from which our bodies will learn to fight it.
But in order for it to work, scientists need to make sure that the spike resembles the actual
spike protein on the Coronavirus so our immune system develops a defense against it. It turns
out that it is extremely difficult to replicate the spike as seen on the actual Coronavirus.
This is because when by itself, the spike moves around in such a way
that does not actually resemble the spike on the Coronavirus.
But thankfully, research for this has been conducted at the University of Texas by Doctor
Mclallen and his team. So here is how Doctor Mclallen and his team were able
to stabilize the movement of the Covid-19 spike protein.
They were able to mutate two strings of amino acids within the spike
by changing their genetic code. This made it possible for the spike to freeze
and behave exactly like the spike on the actual virus.
The team injected their mutated spike protein in immortal human cells which are usually grown
outside of the body in a lab. These cells then start to replicate the protein in a
liquid solution which is then isolated using purification machines. But to really make
sure that the 3D shape of the spike protein is correct, the scientists working in a lab use
a Cyro-electron microscope to take pictures of the special spike protein that they have built.
And so far, it seems to have worked!
This, however, is only one way of making the covid-19 vaccine. Some newer vaccines only
contain the genetic code for making the actual spike protein inside a human body. So this method
eliminates the need for any artificially grown cells saving lots of time and money!
Now, the reason we were able to develop this vaccine so fast is due to the ongoing research
on the family of Coronavirus ever since it was first discovered through the SARS epidemic.
This shows how important it is for all of us to support and fund basic research.
Because without the previous research, it would take almost a decade to develop any vaccine as
there are multiple steps that need to be completed before a full-scale distribution can take place.
And this is how the Covid-19 Vaccine is developed. Will you be getting a shot when it is available?
Let us know in the comment section down below! Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our channel
and hit the like button if you liked this video. Until then, we’ll see you in the next one!