New mRNA Vaccines - A Huge Breakthrough

COVID Vaccine explained and the incredible medical breakthroughs

 

In the past 100 years life span in the Western world has more than doubled, from under 40 to about 80. Vaccines have been so effective at improving health and saving and extending lives that most people in the U.S. have no idea what it’s like to watch a child die a painful death from a tetanus infection or to witness a loved one experience brutal paralysis and death from polio. Providing and supporting vaccinations is a key tool in today’s public health toolbox.

 

There are very few effective antiviral medicines (as opposed to anti-bacterial medications, that is antibiotics). The vast majority of viral infections can only be treated by prevention with vaccinations.

 

There is a lot of conflicting information about the current COVID vaccine. Unfortunately most of this is spread through social media and word of mouth, without appropriate review or scientific background.

 

Many are hesitant; mostly due to this misinformation. The new mRNA technology is a game changer both in efficacy, but more importantly in safety.

 

To really understand what is going on, it is necessary to explain how viruses work, how the body defends itself, and how vaccines work.

 

1.    Natural Defenses

 

The way one’s body defends itself against foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses is truly incredible. We are constantly exposed to all types of bacteria and viruses. The body has two major defense systems; antibodies and killer T-cells.

 

The antibody system is truly amazing. When a foreign invader comes into our body, there are special defenders that recognize it as foreign, and start the process of developing antibodies specific to that invader. This takes about a week or two; and during that time the virus or bacteria can wreak its havoc. The fascinationg thing is that we have the ability to make millions or billions of different antibodies, specific to each invader. How this happens is not well understood.

 

The antibodies attach to the invader (in the case of COVID we produce antibodies to the so-called spike protein). Once attached, the antibody protein changes its shape and attracts a white blood cell, a special army of cells that “eat” invaders and debris, and so destroys the virus. (The actual process is that the cell surrounds the marked virus, places it in a vacuole and applies enzymes that digest it).

 

Aside from our incredible ability to make antibodies against virtually anything, the system also has the ability NOT to make antibodies against our own body. This is because each of our cells have special markers that tell our defenders that these belong there. Occasionally this fails, and we do make auto-antibodies, such as in diseases like Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

 

The killer T-cell system is similar to the antibody system, in that our body has the ability to make special killer cells that specifically recognize the invader. Again this takes 1-2 weeks.

 

Once we have fought off the invader, by either system, our body remembers by keeping a few cells that specialize in that specific antibody; if the invader comes back it can ramp up antibodies in 24 hours or less.

 

2.    How our body functions

 

It is important in this context to understand how our body works, specifically how it makes proteins. Our genetic code is DNA. This can be thought of as a complete set of building plans used to operate. In a construction sense, this would contain all different plans, such as plumbing, electric, etc.

 

If our cell wants to make something, it produces a copy of that specific blueprint. We call this messenger RNA or mRNA. It sends the mRNA to the factory, also known as the ribosome. The factory then makes the protein. For example, to make insulin, the cell makes an insulin mRNA, sends it to the ribosomes, and insulin is released.

 

Most mRNA is destroyed after one use, some can be reused, but these blueprints usually only last a few minutes, or in some cases up to a week or two. It is quite unstable.

 

This process is simple, the complicated part is the co-ordination of when certain proteins need to be made and released, or production needs to stop. However this is not important in a viral infection.

 

3.    How a Virus works

 

The COVID virus is quite simple. It is a big piece of mRNA surrounded by a capsule. It injects the mRNA into the cell, and the mRNA makes its way to the factory (ribosomes). Then it makes ALL the parts needed to make a virus, including copies of the mRNA, and the coating. The viral mRNA can survive from several hours to a day; enough time to make several thousand virus particles. However this process is quite error prone, and it seems that only about 10-100 of these new viral products are actually functional. The rest are so full of errors they don’t work.

 

After about 10,000 virus particles are made, the cell bursts and release the infectious virus, and the process continues. This only takes a few hours, so within 24 hours your body has made hundreds of thousands or millions of infectious viral particles from the approximately 1000 initial virus particles you inhaled.

 

4.    Vaccines

 

Currently, because viruses use our own bodies “factories” to make new viruses, they have little or no unique metabolic processes. Bacteria, like strep, are physiologically different and reproduce on their own, and have different enough metabolic processes that we can produce antibiotics that are safe for us but can kill them.

 

The development of vaccines was a huge advance, and mRNA vaccines are a game changer. The theory of vaccination is to induce our body to create the antibodies needed to kill the virus. Then the body will have a memory, and can defend against COVID within 24 hours, not 1-2 weeks.

 

The first vaccines were live viruses that were mutated, intentionally or not, to be less infectious. The first was cowpox, a live virus which made us produce antibodies against smallpox. The early polio vaccines were live viruses, and could rarely actually cause paralysis. Current polio vaccines are not live viruses.

 

Until mRNA vaccines, the vaccinations contained specific protein parts, or dead virus, usually attached to an adjuvant, like aluminum, to help induce an immune response. Development of the appropriate combination of protein and adjuvant could take years; and often the first tries were unsuccessful.

 

5.    mRNA Technology and vaccines

 

As noted, the mRNA is very unstable and quickly destroyed. Over the past 25 years, researchers had been searching for ways to stabilize the mRNA and then have methods to deliver it to the cellular factories without it being destroyed. The thought was that we could treat diseases where people are missing specific proteins and use the mRNA to have the body make it. Vaccines were the other possibility.

 

So how does the current mRNA vaccine work? Researchers quickly were able to map the entire COVID virus RNA “blueprint”. Then they looked at patients who had recovered from COVID and found they all had antibodies against a part of the virus called the “spike protein”. Quickly they determined which part of the mRNA made (or coded for) the spike protein and were able to put it in a special capsule to deliver it to our cellular factories to make the spike protein, and only the spike protein. Within 2 months of the pandemic starting they had this perfected.

 

Compared to previous vaccines (which are generally safe) these vaccines are incredibly safe and reliable. First, there are no adjuvants, no live or killed virus, and no extra substances. The protein produced is the spike protein – the same exact one that your body would be full of if you got the infection. The antibodies produced are the exact same ones you would make if you got infected.

 

The mRNA lasts less than two weeks, and is localized in the muscle where it is injected.

 

You might hear about side effects, such as blood clots and myocarditis. In actuality these are likely related to the antibodies, and they occur far more frequently with actual infection. The incidence of serious side effects is less than one in a million, less than most current vaccines for other diseases, and less than most common oral medications (including Tylenol!).

 

The COVID virus has the ability to infect and damage your lungs, nasal passages, kidneys, heart and brain and many other tissues. About 60% of recovered have some long term effects, often very subtle.

 

All the vaccines in current use were based on the original version of COVID. As the virus has mutated, the current vaccines are less effective, but still highly protective against serious disease. It appears that higher antibody levels protect better against the newer mutations.

 

The levels of antibodies do drop slightly after about 6 months. We do not know if this will affect risk to infection, but since the vaccine is so safe it may be worthwhile getting a booster. Similarly, if you had COVID infection, scientists have found that antibody levels are much lower than after the vaccine, so it is a good idea to get at least one vaccination. As long as the infection is cleared up the shot will be effective – and can be given as early as 10 days to 2 weeks after infection. The vaccine has also been shown to decrease symptoms in long haulers.

 

Some groups have latched on the fact that the vaccines have not obtained full FDA approval. To get full approval, FDA investigators need to personally inspect all manufacturing facilities in extreme detail (which they have started for emergency approval), as well as do complete reviews of all data. This is a procedure that is organized to take a minimum of 6-10 months so any side effects and changes in doses can be carefully evaluated. The process also is there to ensure future production maintains the protocols and safety measures that are being used. There are numerous cancer drugs that have similar emergency approval.

 

mRNA technology is a game changer in safety and efficacy. It uses a copy of real viral mRNA and makes us produce the exact same antibodies as if we were infected. The risks of infection

are so much higher this should be a no-brainer.