As we all know the past two years Globally has been marked by our favorite pandemic, SARS-COV2, AKA Coronavirus, AKA That Rona, AKA 2020. Despite what it’s called it has generated quite a bit of talk not only about the virus but of course, the vaccine developed against it. So what are these new COVID vaccines, how do they work, why is it important, and who is affected by this vaccine?
The What
The vaccines developed to COVID-19 are fairly novel, especially the vaccines developed by Moderna (SpikeVax) and Pfizer/Biontech (Comirnaty). However; the technology has existed for well over a decade. Let me introduce you to Dr. Drew Weismann, whose lab at University of Pennsylvania has researched mRNA LNP’s since 2006. So you ask, what in the hell is mRNA and a LNP? Well let me explain. Does everyone remember the central dogma of Biology? The Central dogma is an inheritance mechanism that encodes the genetic information present in DNA and transfers them to RNA and eventually protein.
The How
That’s where the COVID shot comes in right about here. RNA (Ribonuclease Acid) is a what your DNA makes (with the help of DNA Transcriptase) to start the process of making proteins we make everyday in our body. mRNA (messenger RNA) is basically the Postal service of RNA, it helps carry that mail all they way from the DNA to tell the ribosome to make a protein. Actually, mRNA might be the Amazon of RNA cause it kinda has the current COVID game on lock, with prime shipping available too.
The problem with the mRNA and RNA in general is that it isn’t very stable. While the mRNA is outside the cell and circulating within the body it can degrade rather quickly in a matter of minutes as it is exposed to enzymes called RNAses. With such a poor half-life there is no way you can actually have a therapeutic effect. So scientists in Dr. Weissmann’s lab have developed a unique way around this; Enter The Lipid Nanoparticle! A lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) is a particle that is typically spherical in nature with a size range of 10 nm to 100 nm made of lipids. A lipid is an organic molecule that consists of fatty acids or their derivatives that are insoluble in water and soluble in organic solvents. Examples include natural oils, waxes, steroids, and naturally occurring fats. Dr. Weissmann’s lab has found a unique way of encapsulating the mRNA into the LNP, protecting the mRNA and allowing it to last long enough in the body to have a therapeutic effect. In a nutshell, the COVID shot has mRNA encased in fat so we don’t get the RONA. I hope you weren’t trying to get that beach body.
After the LNP with mRNA is injected, Antigen-Presenting Cells (APCs) take the LNP and break down the lipid shell releasing the mRNA. Antigen-Presenting Cells are apart of your innate immune system and are on the frontlines of your immune system to help prevent sickness and infection. For all my chess players out there, its sadly the pawn but still a important player for your immune system and a critical part of how this vaccine works. Once the mRNA is released in the APC, the mRNA does what it’s supposed to do; delivers the message to the ribosome to make that protein. Think of the ribosome as the factory to that only makes one thing…..protein. The protein that the ribosome depends on the message that it gets from the mRNA and in this case the message from the mRNA is the spike protein (The dominant protein found on the COVID virus). Now the APC is ready to tell the entire immune system, that anything with the spike protein needs to be destroyed. In other words, the APC just started snitching on COVID minus the stitches. This allows for immunization against the disease after a couple of weeks.
The Why
The COVID shot works differently compared to other vaccines as described above. For example, the Polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was injected as a inactivated-vaccine in which the entire polio virus was inactivated by extreme heat and injected into the patient to prevent disease. The APCs did their job and started snitching again on the polio virus by breaking down the different proteins presenting them to the rest of the immune system. In other cases, a live virus that has been attenuated is used as a vaccine. Certain Flu vaccines have been used accordingly in which the virus is working, but the sequence has been altered to where it can not make a person extremely sick. And of course, the APC like the useful snitch it is gives the immune system permission to use lethal force.
The advantage of using the technology like the COVID shot is that theoretically you can swap out a mRNA sequence for another and encapsulate in a LNP. This can allow for quick development of vaccines for a myriad of diseases that normally would take years. Scientifically this is certainly a breakthrough in modern medicine, but what are some of the societal implications?
The Who
The vaccine as of now is currently available to so many people in developed nations. As of November 2nd, 2021; in the United States about 189.7 million people or 58% of the population according to http://www.usafacts.org. However, it still effects the many people who are not vaccinated. This is where the line between politics and science get blurred so if you don’t like talking about the intersectionality of Science and Politics you might want stop reading.
The vaccine has been made available to many people in developed countries. However in developing countries that is not the case. For example less than 3 percent of the entire population of Africa is vaccinated. Vaccination rates in South America, and South Asian countries are not far ahead as well. Often times supply chain issues are cited but also fear of IP infringement is stated to prevent widespread distribution of the vaccine. People living in these places in the world have very different fears of the pandemic much due to the fear of IP loss.
In the states there has certainly been quite a bit of push back. As you are aware, there has been a vocal minority of people who reject the idea of the vaccine for a myriad of reasons. Some believe that the vaccine changes your DNA, or that Big Pharma is microchipping people with the Injection. I hope the information above helps explain this away but if you really want to look up the information you can look up the product insert for the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNtech COVID shots on the FDA website. While others don’t trust the process on how the vaccine was rolled out and the speed of which it was administered to others. These type of discussions to me seem more genuine. The COVID Vaccine was initially rolled out under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the United States is an authorization granted to the Food and Drug Administration amended by various Acts of Congress, by 2013, to allow the use of a drug prior to approval. It does not constitute approval of the drug in the full statutory meaning of the term, but instead authorizes the FDA to facilitate availability of an unapproved product, or an unapproved use of an approved product. In other words, the EUA allows everyone to get the shot before it is fully approved.
So, what is full approval? Full approval requires the company to demonstrate efficacy and safety to help with it’s drug. In this case, the covid shots were tested in clinical trials and demonstrated that there were effective in preventing COVID-19 along with clearing a high bar of safety in which there was a low likely hood of adverse effects to patients. As of now the first patients dosed with the mRNA LNP vaccines for COVID have had the vaccine for over a year and a half. No extra legs yet, but they are still being monitored.
Regardless, the speed of how the shot was developed reservations can persist. Even more prominent in communities of that have traditionally been disadvantaged. From the Tuskegee experiments, Henrietta Lacks, State sponsored Sterilization, and on and on and on many people from communities of color have already been given the shaft by experimental drugs, lack of medical care, and questionable research practices. So it’s extremely reasonable to look at the speed of such a revolutionary drug and have a some hesitancy to take something that was developed in less than two years despite the actual history of the technology. My only retort to that is that, when the shot came out so many rich (and let’s face it) white people were lining up to get the shot. In the United States, rich white people are the crème ’de la crème, so even though the COVID shots are new; it can’t be that bad right.
Conclusion
In summary, the mRNA LNP vaccine has so much potential. Not only has it been used to treat COVID but it’s currently in clinical trials for other indications and could be used to quickly treat multiple diseases at a faster rate than has ever been seen before. However, it doesn’t come without controversy. The very advantage of the technology can also increase the distrust from the people in the community. Simply because the speed of development may seem like a plus in many scientist minds, but it ignores the history, and paranoia of the current political environment. Personally, I have taken the shot as I believe in science and it gives me and my family a greater degree of safety that didn’t exist earlier in the pandemic. I have also learned to see, why people are hesitant, and I don’t think they should be judged necessarily if they are living a disciplined life, nor be forced to leave there job due to a government mandate. So the choice is yours, but let’s understand there is more to science than meets the eye and the impact on society isn’t straightforward. I just wish the entire world had the luxury of such a choice.
Feel free to comment and looking forward to the discussion
Science Splaining 